Prominent rugby league journalists Andrew Webster and Brent Read have clashed over the Zac Lomax saga, and specifically whether he should be allowed to play in the NRL again.
Released from the remainder of his contract by the Eels to pursue interests outside of the NRL, Lomax is currently entangled in a legal saga with his former club and the Melbourne Storm, who plotted a move to sign the star winger.
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Yet to find out what his future holds, legal proceedings in the NSW Supreme Court are still ongoing with the NRL being subpoenaed and Storm Chairman Matt Tripp and CEO Justin Rodski set to testify in the coming days.
Speaking on NRL 360, journalist Andrew Webster took a firm stance on the former Blues winger’s future and argued that there was no obligation to welcome Lomax back into the NRL following the circumstances surrounding his departure.
This comes as ARLC Chairman Peter V’landys and NRL CEO Andrew Abdo stated they would love to see him back in the 13-man game despite reports emerging that he was set to join R360 before it was postponed to a later date.
“They are headed for the Supreme Court next Monday morning where it’s going to come to a head. Whether there’s a deal done between now and then, time is running out,” Webster said.
“It is very interesting that Parramatta have dug in as hard as they have and subpoenaed the NRL so we’re going to find out sooner than later just how complicit the NRL was in getting a player to go to Melbourne.
“They’ve gone to great lengths…to not lose him to the game.
“The game doesn’t need Zac Lomax. The guy wanted out for money and he left on certain conditions and now wants (in since) it’s all fallen over. That’s not the game’s responsibility to save Zac Lomax.”
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Lomax’s court date delayed until March | 00:50
Gorden Tallis, meanwhile, added that if he was a Parramatta fan and heard Lomax say, ‘I’m going to rugby’, he would be fine but that if he was wanting to join Melbourne, that was a different story.
While Tallis, Webster and host Braith Anasta were all of the opinion that Lomax shouldn’t be granted a free pass to join the Storm, journalist Brent Read believed differently.
“I’m not saying Parramatta shouldn’t get something for Zac Lomax. I think they should. They should get financially compensated which they will do at some point,” Read said.
“In my view, what did Parramatta expect? He broke a contract to go to Parramatta. He then broke Parramatta’s contract.
“Why are they shocked by this? And also how many clubs are chasing Zac Lomax right now – not many. Only one as far as I know
“There’s not many that have reached out to Zac Lomax to sign him … given his history.
“I think he should be back in the game. I want to see him back in the game. He’s a great player. I’d love to see him Melbourne.”
Anasta finished the conversation with a message that is set to resonate with a lot of rugby league fans, “There needs to be some sort of punishment. Our games needs to have balls. We need to stand by the decisions that we make.”
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