‘Didn’t kill anyone’: Lomax’s agent opens up on ‘s***storm’ as rugby clubs chasing exiled star revealed

Twenty-four hours after Zac Lomax settled his legal battle with the Parramatta Eels and agreed that he wouldn’t return to the NRL, the exiled winger has been linked with another code.

Granted a release from the Eels at the end of last season to pursue an opportunity in the now-postponed R360 competition - a rebel rugby union league - Lomax has found himself in the middle of headlines over the past month.

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This was due to the Melbourne Storm hoping to secure his services despite him agreeing to clauses in his release from the Eels that his former club would need to grant him permission to join another team.

Failing to sign with the Storm, Lomax has been pictured leaving Rugby Australia’s headquarters, where the publication understands he held talks about a potential code switch.

He is understood to have attracted interest from the ACT Brumbies and Western Force in the past.

Steve Gillis, who is one of Lomax’s agents, has since confirmed that rugby union is a real possibility.

“Yes, he’s a chance to play rugby,” Gillis said on his Chiming In podcast.

“Everything is on the table at the moment for Zac. He is going to explore all options.

“We have to find out how keen Rugby Australia are and what they can offer... There’s a World Cup coming up and overseas options in France and Japan... the door is still ajar in the NRL.”

Gillis then opened up on how Lomax was coping with the intense scrutiny.

“Zac understands he is in the middle of a shitstorm and sometimes comes with the territory. The sunshine is coming his way soon and good things will happen,” he said.

“Zac didn’t shoot anyone, he didn’t kill anyone, he didn’t kidnap anyone, he didn’t murder anyone, but it’s rugby league. There’s a lot more to come and people are interested in what will happen next.

“Zac is doing well, he is extremely resilient. Tough kid, thorough professional, he is up to date with his training, he could play tomorrow. He is incredibly fit.

“Eventually this will blow over, you have to weather the storm and charge on and that’s what he will do.”

Gillis’ comments come after Storm coach Craig Bellamy voiced his opinion that he hopes to see Lomax eventually return to rugby league.

“Everyone in the game would like to see him stay in our game - he is an Origin player and has played for Australia,” Bellamy said

“He is a quality player and he is a quality person too. To lose him to another code would be disappointing.

“At the end of the day if we lose him to rugby league, that is going to be a loss.”

Speaking on the Lomax saga, Melbourne Storm CEO Justin Rodski confirmed that he would also love to see Lomax back in the 13-man code and revealed that they did offer to sign out-of-favour Eels forward Ryan Matterson as part of an agreement to lure the winger to Victoria.

“Ultimately, we were still in negotiations with Parramatta right up until the final minute ahead of the court proceedings commencing and in the end it was decided in the best interest of all parties that the court proceedings didn’t go ahead,” Storm CEO Justin Rodeki said on SEN Radio.

“We reached a negotiated outcome but not an outcome that unfortunately delivered Zac Lomax to the Melbourne Storm.

“It was incredibly disappointing and frustrating that we weren’t able to get a deal done, but in the end, it was decided that the court couldn’t go ahead, and we’d part ways and move on and get on with the season.

“In the end Parramatta viewed they needed a football outcome as part of the negotiations and we did everything we could to facilitate that outcome for them including various different avenues around players, cap relief (and) financial settlement.

“In the end, they determined that it wasn’t enough. It was a possibility at the 11th hour of another Parramatta player coming to Melbourne, called Ryan Matterson, but unfortunately, in the end, he decided he didn’t want to come for just one year. That fell over at the last hurdle as well.

“We did everything we could to recruit Zac and convince Parramatta that the deal was reasonable and fair.

“It’s not really any winners in this. I hope he’s not lost to the game now. He’s a quality player, representative footballer who wanted to stay in the game and playing rugby league.

“As a result of what has taken place I really don’t know what he’s going to do next and whether or not he stays in the game of rugby league.”

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