Zac Lomax addresses eye-opening move at Eels after emotional post-match act against Dragons.
Lomax choked back tears after stepping up to be Parramatta’s hero against his former team.
Zac Lomax says he has no issues playing on the wing for Parramatta after confirming that he’s likely to stay there for the foreseeable future. The situation is curious considering Lomax left the Dragons to play centre at the Eels this season, despite making his State of Origin and Kangaroos debuts on the wing in 2024, in what was easily the best season of his NRL career to date.
Lomax began this season lining up at right centre for Parramatta, in a hybrid role that saw him drop back to the wing for some kick returns, but typically attack and defend at centre. On Saturday, Lomax played a more natural wing role and proved the hero against his former club after kicking the golden point field goal to seal Parramatta’s first win of the season. It came after Lomax also kicked a long-range penalty goal late in the second half to send the game into extra time.
Eels match-winner Zac Lomax choked back tears in an emotional post-game interview after beating his former club, the Dragons on Saturday. Pic: Getty/Fox League
Eels match-winner Zac Lomax choked back tears in an emotional post-game interview after beating his former club, the Dragons on Saturday. Pic: Getty/Fox League
Unsurprisingly, Lomax was full of emotional speaking to Fox League’s Lara Pitt after the game about the enormity of his match-winning heroics that broke the hearts of his former club and many of his good mates. “It was great to get the monkey of our back in front of the home crowd. We love our fans,” Lomax said. “Players deserve it, fans deserve it. Super pumped.”
An emotional Lomax choked back tears before adding: ““I’m pumped but it’s a hard one Lara. It’s a tough one and it gets me emotional but yeah. It’s a good win.” Lomax played 114 games for the Dragons after making his NRL debut with the club in 2018 and you could tell what it meant for him to help the Eels get their season up and running after a tough start to life at Parramatta.
The victory was even more telling in that it came in Lomax’s first full game playing exclusively on the wing for his new club, with that switch looking likely to be a permanent move from Eels coach Jason Ryles. The Eels now view centre Will Penisini and Lomax as their best right-edge combination, leaving the former Dragon playing full-time on the wing in attack and defence.
Zac Lomax happy on wing at Eels in wake of Dragons exit
Lomax says the shift came after Ryles wanted him to have more touches of the footy and the plan worked well on Saturday as the 25-year-old ran for 188 metres in an impressive display. And Lomax insists that he’s happy to keep playing on the wing if that’s what Ryles believes is best for the club, after denying suggestions he left the Dragons because coach Shane Flanagan refused to play him at centre.
“Playing on the wing at the moment, it just allows me to get my hands on the ball more than not,” Lomax said. “Being able to touch the ball more times than not helps … so wherever it is, I don’t care where I play. There’s obviously been a sh*tload of talk about it.
“In regards to that, my teammates know that wherever it is that’s going to help us win, I’ll be around the footy. Wherever that is, I actually don’t really care, to be fair. It just gets my hands on the ball as much as possible and thankfully helped get us to win.”
Pictured left, Zac Lomax celebrates with Eels teammates after their golden point win against the Dragons.
Zac Lomax (L) celebrates with Eels teammates after kicking the field goal to win a golden point thriller against his former team, the Dragons. Pic: Getty
There were other signs of Parramatta’s attacking finally beginning to click on Saturday, with Dylan Brown enjoying his best game of the season after appearing to be affected by the publicity around his $14 million signing with Newcastle for next season. Dylan Walker’s arrival from the Warriors looks to have added another dimension to the Eels and they’ll be hoping he can unlock more attacking opportunities from the middle of the field.
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