NRL 2024: Dragons captain Ben Hunt confirms Zac Lomax wants to leave the club
Dragons skipper Ben Hunt has confirmed unhappy star Zac Lomax wants out of the club, while also opening up on his own NRL future.
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St George Illawarra skipper Ben Hunt has confirmed Zac Lomax wants out of the Dragons after confiding in the halfback about his future.
This masthead revealed Lomax was unhappy about being picked to start the season on the wing, instead of his preferred position at centre, and had earmarked a move to Parramatta.
The Dragons poured cold water over any switch, declaring Lomax would not be released this season.
Lomax, who is contracted until the end of 2026, and the Dragons put talks about his future on hold until round four but speculation refuses to go away.
Despite Lomax’s strong showing to start 2024, Hunt revealed the 24-year old
would rather be playing at another club.
Dragons skipper Ben Hunt has confirmed Zac Lomax wants out of the Dragons, after the centre turned winger confided in his captain about his future. Picture: Getty Images
“Zac and I, we talk quite a bit. If he is unhappy, he is not really showing it to be honest. I’m aware that he does want to leave but he’s not showing he’s unhappy,” Hunt said.
“He’s getting around the place with energy. He seems like he’s enjoying himself to me, anyway. He’s playing really good footy. When he wants some advice, he knows I’m always happy to give it. He’s very open Zac and always asks for something if he needs it.”
While Hunt acknowledged Lomax
does not want to be playing on the wing, the No.7 endorsed his credentials as an NRL winger.
“Whether he likes the position or not, he is doing a bloody good job of it,” Hunt said.
“I think he has been our best player in the last two weeks to be honest. I can’t fault either of his games. He definitely wasn’t the reason why we lost against the Dolphins, he had no part in that. He was one of our best up there.”
Lomax is facing a similar predicament over his future at the Dragons that Hunt has faced over the past 12 months.
Hunt insists he is staying put at the Dragons but admits he has concerns over the direction of the club. Picture: NRL Photos
The first signs of discontent appeared after the club sacked former coach Anthony Griffin, leading to Hunt telling Dragons officials he wanted out of his deal which runs until the end of 2025.
But like Lomax, new coach Shane Flanagan was reluctant to release the star and convinced Hunt to remain at the club, at least for this season.
When asked about his future, Hunt insisted he would be staying put.
“I’m here at the Dragons. I’ve put my head down in the pre-season, tried to stay quiet and work hard and try to get us back on track,” Hunt said.
“I felt like we were doing that but obviously had a big hiccup on the weekend but my focus is getting us back into the finals.”
Hunt did concede, however, the concerns he had over the direction of the club had reared once again after the side’s
disappointing 38-nil loss to the Dolphins.
“It (concerns) always pops up in the back of your head whenever you have a loss no matter what, things like that try to creep in,” Hunt said.
“I’m staying positive, we’ve done a lot of work in the pre-season to be a better side. I think we are better than what we dished up against the Dolphins … just have to try and keep that negative stuff out.”
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