The Rugby League Players Association has weighed in on Zac Lomax’s contract saga, urging clubs against tapping players on the shoulder to force them into a move.
In November Lomax was granted an early release from his Eels deal with three years left to run in the hope of joining R360, with that competition then being delayed for two seasons.
Now the Storm are interested in the gun winger’s services, but his Parramatta exit came with conditions — he is not to play for another NRL team until 2029 unless Parramatta agree.
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The Eels made it clear they want compensation for Lomax’s move to the Storm to take place, naming Xavier Coates, Stefano Utoikamanu or Jack Howarth as the players they would accept.
However, RLPA chief executive Clint Newton urged the clubs involved avoid pressuring any player into a move.
“I’m not going to get caught up in whatever matters are included in the contract,” Newton said to the SMH.
“That’s for them to obviously work through and hopefully resolve. However, we certainly wouldn’t be supportive of anyone entering into some sort of horse-trading type situation, where it’s on the condition of player X or player Y going to Parramatta.
“That’s not something that we would encourage or support.
“Players who have existing contracts have every right to be able to see out their futures at the club they signed the contract with.
“Melbourne are very much aware of that, and I certainly believe that they’ll honour and respect that process.”
Newtown, meanwhile, remained confident the two clubs can come to a solution that benefits both parties.
“We want the best athletes playing our game,” Newton said.
“Zac is obviously a tremendous athlete and someone that we want to keep in rugby league. So really it’s just about all parties reaching an agreement, which hopefully they will.”
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The Eels’ player wishlist emerged after chief executive Jim Sarantinos laid on the terms of any potential Lomax switch.
“We agreed to certain terms with Zac as conditions of the release to allow him the opportunity to explore other options outside the NRL,” he said.
“We made sure there were certain protections within the release for the period he was supposed to be under contract with us, and he willingly signed up for that.
“Things obviously haven’t worked out the way he was expecting them to, and he is now looking at other opportunities within the NRL.
“As far as we’re concerned, we won’t be consenting to him signing with another club unless there’s an appropriate exchange of value.
“We have had a representative player leave our roster who now wants to join another club’s roster.”
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