Zac Lomax and Clint Gutherson go head-to-head when the Dragons play the Eels in round 5
This Saturday, Zac Lomax will face his ex-teammates for the first time – and he won’t be the only player looking to get one over his former friends. BRENT READ and MICHAEL CARAYANNIS go inside one of one of biggest player swaps
April 5, 2025 - 5:00AM
Zac Lomax has no regrets.
Four games into his career at Parramatta and he is yet to win a game, but Lomax hasn’t had any second thoughts over his decision to jump ship from St George Illawarra.
On Saturday afternoon at CommBank Stadium, he will face his ex-teammates for the first time and he won’t be the only player looking to get one over his former friends, now turned foes.
Former Eels fullback and captain Clint Gutherson was St George Illawarra’s most significant off-season signing and has been as rock solid as ever through the opening four rounds.
Just as Gutherson has been the star of the show for the Dragons, Lomax has done his best to carry the Eels as they have struggled in the absence of star skipper Mitchell Moses.
No doubt, both players have been eyeing off this game since they arrived at their new clubs. For them, it’s not just another game given Parramatta and the Dragons were once part of their DNA. Now they are the enemy.
“You definitely always think about it in the sense that you get to (play against) some of your best mates,” Lomax said.
“I’ve got some best mates for life there. All I’ve ever known is some of the boys there.
“Blake Lawrie is one of my best mates – so I am on the phone to him every day and Rambo (Cody Ramsey).
“But at the same time, they want to win a game and I’m sure their coach will have them up. They’re going to want to get a win over me too.”
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Lomax hunting
Lomax first approached the Dragons about a release in January last year.
St George Illawarra were initially shocked by the decision and while Lomax gave no indication of his motivation to leave, the Dragons camp were of the belief it had to do with his positional switch from centre to the wing.
Lomax never confirmed that, but he did say that he needed a change to freshen up.
The Dragons told him to take some time to reconsider his decision given he was contracted until the end of 2026 – a deal he inked back in 2019 when he had been earmarked as a potential long-term fullback by former coach Paul McGregor.
The Dragons wanted Lomax to get through the first month of the season before they spoke again. By that time, whispers of Parramatta’s interest had begun to seep out.
This masthead first heard of Parramatta’s interest when the NRL was in Las Vegas for the opening round last year. As much as Parramatta wanted Lomax, he wanted them.
Former Parramatta coach Brad Arthur was among those pushing hard to sign Lomax and he had the support of key officials within the club including head of football Mark O’Neill.
The Eels were in the market for a quality outside back and the moment that the Dragons gave Lomax the green light to speak to other clubs, Parramatta swooped.
It is understood Arthur and chief executive Jim Sarantinos met Lomax with his family as part of their due diligence before his signing.
Arthur also hosted Lomax at his Hills District home as he looked to seal the deal. From there, things moved quickly as Lomax set his sights on joining Parramatta.
A four-year deal was eventually confirmed in late-April last year – Wednesday marked the 12-month anniversary since Lomax and his junior club formally announced they would part ways at the end of the season.
The Dragons had one catch as part of the deal – they would not contribute a dollar to the $800,000 he stood to earn at the club in 2025.
They also refused to countenance an immediate release.
To Lomax’s credit, he never lobbied to get out of his contract mid-season and join the Eels early. Funnily enough, Gutherson was also involved in the talks to get Lomax to the club.
However, by the time Lomax did arrive at Parramatta, Gutherson was long gone.
Free Gutho
Gutherson was exactly the type of player Dragons coach Shane Flanagan was looking for as he looked to inject some life into the Red V.
After he was told by the Eels and new Parramatta coach Jason Ryles that he couldn’t be guaranteed a starting spot – let alone the No.1 jersey he had made his own – Gutherson pondered if his time at Parramatta was coming to an end.
The Eels wanted him to play as a roving middle off the bench – a similar role to what they have now bought Dylan Walker to do.
He’d be a Mr-Fix-It in the backline, but would be predominantly used as a lock. Given he was about to enter the final year of his contract and that the Eels told him they weren’t in a position to give him a contract extension as yet, the Gutherson camp asked Parramatta if they could fast-track talks with rival clubs.
He was already going to test the market in November, but the Eels granted him permission in October for what was supposed to be for the 2026 season.
Flanagan wasted no time inviting Gutherson to his Sutherland Shire home for a meeting as soon as he was given the opportunity to test the market.
The Dragons wanted Gutherson. They made their pitch in Flanagan’s home where they spoke about their impending high performance build and why he was perfect for a club which was in desperate need of his leadership qualities.
It had been a while since Gutherson had been sold the dream by a rival club. The Dragons were keen to secure him immediately – they couldn’t wait for the 2026 season.
Just weeks after the Eels granted their skipper permission to dip his toe into the market, they granted him an immediate release to take up a three-year deal at the Dragons.
Keeping Lomax
Five weeks after Lomax signed with Parramatta, one of the driving forces behind his signature was gone.
Arthur had pushed hard for Lomax, but his tenure ended in late-May as the club finally drew the curtain on his decade-long stint as head coach at the club.
Lomax had already been through the hurly-burly of coaching change during his time at St George Illawarra – after being handed his first grade debut by McGregor in 2018, he spent time under Dean Young, Anthony Griffin, Ryan Carr and Shane Flanagan.
Arthur’s dismissal had the potential to open old wounds with Lomax.
Eels officials were wary of just that and quickly reached out to explain the rationale behind the coaching change to their star signing.
They also made it clear that Arthur wasn’t the only person at the club pushing hard for his signature. In particular, senior figures Mitchell Moses and Junior Paulo were on board and keen for Lomax to join them in 2025.
They needn’t have worried – Lomax was committed to the club.
When Ryles was appointed as Arthur’s successor, Lomax happened to be in NSW State of Origin camp with Moses and the pair of them were informed of the new appointment.
Later that day they were seen in deep discussion as the news began to sink in.
Ryles also went out of his way to make sure Lomax was on side by hosting his star signing at his house in the weeks after his appointment – they already knew each other from Junior Kangaroos, when Ryles was an assistant coach
The Eels in the meantime made sure that Lomax was included on their internal mailing list so that he was kept informed of the developments at the club after his signing last season.
He wasn’t at the club just yet, but he was at the forefront of their thoughts.
Bad blood
Amid all the talk of bad blood and ill will – Gutherson recently claimed his mother had burned all her Eels gear – the priority for both sides on Saturday afternoon is a win.
Neither has started the season in the best of form despite the efforts of their star signings, who have been able to hold their head high despite their clubs’ indifferent opening to the season.
They have moved on quickly and so it seems have their families.
O’Neill recently shared a drink with Gutherson’s parents after stopping at their house to drop off a print to commemorate their son’s 200 games for the Eels.
His father John has also asked to poke his head into the family lounge on Saturday afternoon to help some of the families.
As for Lomax, he couldn’t be happier despite the Eels’ early-season dramas.
He has worked the house down for his new side in the absence of Moses, highlighted by his performance against the Bulldogs in round three where he selflessly spent time on the wing to accommodate Jordan Samrani and ran for more than 230 metres.
He is among the NRL leaders in runs, post-contact metres and tackle breaks.
His error count has also been high, perhaps a reflection that at times he is trying too hard to lift the Eels out of their current malaise.
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