At the conclusion of the NRL season, Zac Lomax will depart from St George Illawarra, as the Dragons gave in to pressure and allowed the disgruntled winger to be released.
Lomax’s management met with the NRL team again on Tuesday, and this time, they expressed their frustration at being moved out of the centre position and their wish for him to leave the Dragons.
This time, Dragons management consented to a release, ending Lomax’s two-year contract with no additional payment from the Saints.
“This provides both Zac and the club with clarity regarding the future, allowing us time to strategise for the upcoming seasons,” Ryan Webb, the Dragons chief executive officer, stated.
“With this arrangement, the Dragons can concentrate on using more cap space and honing our squad of players ranked in the top 30.
“While Zac can pursue his future endeavours with another club.”
Having made no secret of its intention to entice the 24-year-old to Kellyville in recent weeks, Parramatta is already the front-runner to recruit him.
Though the Dragons are certain that they will only allow a move if a suitable player is offered in return, there is still a potential that Lomax will make the move this year.
Since his time as an Australian Schoolboys representative in 2016, Lomax has been a part of St George Illawarra’s setup. His contract with the club runs until the end of 2026.
But in the last few seasons, he became more and more irritated.
Early in the season last year, then-coach Anthony Gryphon moved him out of his usual right centre position, and he left the squad soon after.
After Gryphon was fired last season, Lomax went back to playing right centre, but Shane Flanagan, the new coach, requested him to start this season on the left flank instead.
Throughout Lomax’s career, the Dragons have also experimented with putting him at fullback multiple times, most recently this summer before deciding to stick with Tyrell Sloan there.
With three tries in four games and more runs than any other winger in the NRL, Lomax has been among the Dragons’ top players thus far this year.
He has, however, consistently stated that he does not wish to remain on the wing.
“Zac has consistently demonstrated his talent and dedication to the club, especially in the face of external noise,” Flanagan stated.
The Dragons’ choice to release Lomax contradicts their stance on the majority of contract issues in the past, including their denial of captain Ben Hunt’s request for a release last season.
However, it does free up space for the Dragons to pursue other wingers in the upcoming season by allowing them to void Lomax’s contract, which is worth about $800,000.
Sunia Turuva, a try-scoring monster for Penrith who is free to talk to other teams after ending his contract this year, will probably be a top priority.
