Eels recruit Zac Lomax has been left in an awkward position following the sacking of coach Brad Arthur and if “he had his time over” the gun flyer would reportedly have stayed at the Dragons.
That is according to The Daily Telegraph’s David Riccio, who believes Lomax would backflip on his four-year contract with the Parramatta club if he found an avenue to do so.
The 24-year-old’s contract with the Eels was announced in April, before an ugly form slump saw Parramatta powerbrokers sack Arthur, who played an instrumental role in Lomax’s recruitment.
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He moved to the Eels under the promise of shifting to the centres after current Red V coach Shane Flanagan made the bold decision to move him to the wing ahead of the club’s 2024 campaign.
Riccio was of the belief that Lomax could now be disgruntled, having doubts about his future as the Eels search for their next head coach.
“I certainly believe there’s an element within Zac that believes that if he had his time over again he’d be staying at St George Illawarra,” Riccio said on NRL360 on Tuesday night.
“A lot’s changed since then. Brad Arthur’s no longer there. The man who had him over for a barbeque.”
Asked if Lomax would be angry about that, Riccio believes the winger would be questioning “where is he heading at a footballer not knowing who the next Eels coach is.
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“We know that the overriding motivation for Zac to leave the saints was at the time he thought he was a centre and Brad was willing to give him that opportunity. (But) nothing was guaranteed.”
The situation is further complicated by uncertainty around who Arthur’s successor is, with Parramatta yet to make a decision on their next head coach.
Dean Young, Josh Hannay, Jason Ryles and current Eels interim coach Trent Barrett all remain a chance to become the club’s next head coach, with an appointment of Parramatta’s next coach expected at the end of this week.
NRL 360 host Braith Anasta stressed one of the top priorities for the next Parramatta head coach is to call the NSW Blues winger and convince him “that I will look after you.”
However, Riccio is of the belief a change of coach won’t necessarily rectify the situation.
“Do you seriously think they (Parramatta’s coaching candidates) are going to move him from the wing?” he asked.
“The way he’s playing, why would you?
“No coach is moving one of the best wingers in the game from the wing.”
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Riccio clarified he doesn’t believe Lomax has agitated to backflip on his Eels deal but that “If Zac had a way to stay at Saints, he would.”
Earlier this week, Dragons coach Shane Flanagan joined NRL 360 and discussed his star winger’s future.
Flanagan admitted the Red V don’t want to lose Lomax but conceded “he’s signed a contract with another club.”
While backflipping on his Eels deal may be the best option for Zac Lomax the footballer, Fox League’s Paul Crawley questioned whether it’s the best option for Zac Lomax the person.
“It’s such a shame though isn’t it? Because he agitated to get out of the Dragons because he wasn’t happy and now if this turns out to be true, what does Zac stand for?” Crawley said.
“He’s turned around his career on the field this year. But he’s also got his character to look after here.
“You’ve got to stand for something. A contract has to stand for something.”