The Rumours Thread

[Saints Forever]

Zac wants to be a 5/8

If young Flanno gets injured he may get a chance to show us what he can do at 6

 

[TheRev]

If young Flanno gets injured he may get a chance to show us what he can do at 6

Marschke will be straight in id think.. one of the only depth positions we have.

 

[BLM01]

Look Channel 9 with some sort of axe to grind against us will do anything to derail on both sides
1. negative focus on a rugby convert meaning Zac is not wanted or will be traded and of course we are waiting to R4 to discuss his future. Sounds very manager driven
2. positive like a news report saying we are back baby and look out. I am sure 16 other teams probably had a chuckle... and had to catch us coming off the plane...which could be construed as a negative for us going forward. What about the other 8 winners

 

[BLM01]

Or is Zac looking for a change of scenery or contract upgrade

anyone have any inside knowledge about what Zac actually wants

he is happy
but no doubt his PM is in his ear playing on the moving to wing thing
"what i get you a guaranteed centre or whatever you want position at a strong club."
Of course in the current climate you would consider it
Thats what the media seagulls are fed, putting pressure on us to do something else regardless of whats wrong or right for the team

 

[Crush]

Look Channel 9 with some sort of axe to grind against us will do anything to derail on both sides
1. negative focus on a rugby convert meaning Zac is not wanted or will be traded and of course we are waiting to R4 to discuss his future. Sounds very manager driven
2. positive like a news report saying we are back baby and look out. I am sure 16 other teams probably had a chuckle... and had to catch us coming off the plane...which could be construed as a negative for us going forward. What about the other 8 winners

Honestly I think it’s all in your head.
Media are just being media, trying to get clicks any way possible.
There is no axe to grind. They just want clicks, any way they can. That’s it.

 

[BLM01]

Honestly I think it’s all in your head.
Media are just being media, trying to get clicks any way possible.
There is no axe to grind. They just want clicks, any way they can. That’s it.

Agree and maybe wrong choice of words
but it happens too often compared to others, especially the past few years in respect to those click headlines

 

[Crush]

Agree and maybe wrong choice of words
but it happens too often compared to others, especially the past few years in respect to those click headlines

We’ve given them plenty of content over the past few years to be fair.
Hopefully moving forward we just start winning games and start to go under the radar, rarely see the sharks in the media for example.

 

[Dragon David]

We’ve given them plenty of content over the past few years to be fair.
Hopefully moving forward we just start winning games and start to go under the radar, rarely see the sharks in the media for example.

Now if Sloan was switched to the wing and Lomax went to fullback, would the media be click baiting us and saying that Sloan is shitty and wants out?

To me, it is not what the player wants, it is what the coach deems the best option and he is the one that makes the decisions - certainly not the player manager who wants his client to be paid handsomely and as a centre the rate is higher as we know but Lomax's worth as a centre at a higher rate is not going to happen in my honest opinion - he is not a Reg or Mark Gasnier or Stevie Rogers. Just like your child saying I don't want that and you give in and you give him what he wants - $10 thing for instance but kid wants a $40 one for the same thing - you get what I mean? Someone has to take control for better or for worse and Flanno is the man in charge and that's that.

 

[jak]

Honestly I think it’s all in your head.
Media are just being media, trying to get clicks any way possible.
There is no axe to grind. They just want clicks, any way they can. That’s it.

sorry crush, but the media stopped being the media years ago.

 

[QDFAN]

The punctuation was on purpose, having a go at all the Sloan haters, champ

Know exactly what you're talking about. Just goes to show, Sloane was struggling big time. Last two matches wonderful transition under Flanno. He's like a new man. Still a couple of hiccups but his tackling technique has improved big time.
Keep going hard Young Tyrrell your a winner. Prove to all those doubters your our number 1.

 

[QDFAN]

Now if Sloan was switched to the wing and Lomax went to fullback, would the media be click baiting us and saying that Sloan is shitty and wants out?

To me, it is not what the player wants, it is what the coach deems the best option and he is the one that makes the decisions - certainly not the player manager who wants his client to be paid handsomely and as a centre the rate is higher as we know but Lomax's worth as a centre at a higher rate is not going to happen in my honest opinion - he is not a Reg or Mark Gasnier or Stevie Rogers. Just like your child saying I don't want that and you give in and you give him what he wants - $10 thing for instance but kid wants a $40 one for the same thing - you get what I mean? Someone has to take control for better or for worse and Flanno is the man in charge and that's that.

Lomax , on the wing, has just had his best game,that I have witnessed. Apparently run over 200mts made more tackle busts than ever before.Plus his aerial maneuvers were top class.

 

[Dragon David]

Lomax , on the wing, has just had his best game,that I have witnessed. Apparently run over 200mts made more tackle busts than ever before.Plus his aerial maneuvers were top class.

You see this is what I don't understand what all the hullabaloo is about.

All this great work by Lomax playing on the wing is not from a guy who doesn't want to be at the club. It shows that his heart is with the Dragons and everything is just a beat up causing this unrest which these media merkins love to do to this club.

If it is not Hunt (not much is being said about him now because he isn't going anywhere) they then have to drum up something else to get all the click baits by saying Lomax is sooking being a winger - for heavens sakes, its only early days. We have only played one comp game and a couple of trials with Lomax on the wing to see how things pan out. Val Holmes had been shifted a few positions at the Sharks under Flanno and he grinned and bared it and nobody raised an eyelid then.

Most players say that they don't care where the coach puts them so long as they play in the NRL. Do the journos make a big song and dance about them, I don't think so?

Lomax has been at the club on good money since 2018. Fred Fittler said he had loads of talent but has he played SOO? No. Has he been a consistent stand out week in and out for the Dragons - No. Have there been other clubs in the previous years clamouring to try and get him rather than now - No (if in fact that is the case that a club actually has said that they would take him). Is he worth a decent pay elsewhere? - No.

Lomax and Flanno have got to put this to bed and not let it be a drawn out saga like the Benny Hunt matter. Shut it down now.

 

[krispykebab]

I think Lomax is the one that needs to come out and put it to bed, that's the only thing that will shut the media up. Until then this talk of him going elsewhere will linger around the club, not what we need. Sloan is definitely the better fullback, I don't see him scoring atleast 2 of the tries Sloan did in the second half purely based on speed and change of direction. He is a centre/winger, that's all.

 

[Auntie.Gerald]

For me the real issue is that Zac signed on till end of 2026 at only an average of $500k pa and that could be considered unders as at 2024.

He probably has been pre paid some of that amount in our easier salary cap years

So if he is actually on say $400k pa in 2024,25,26 (due to some pre payments) I wonder what really is going on here?

He knows the better centres get $750k pa.

That comment the other day he is on $800k pa was the stupidest bit of journo work I have seen in so long. Just fuelling BS. Every media group reported Zac was on $3mill for 5years. We would have pre paid anything we could of his average $500k pa to be ready for serious recruitment 2025 / 26.

He probably is being opportunistic knowing that if a new club only has to pay out say $400k pa for 24/25/26 he could get an upgrade and play centre at another club. That means he was paid in good faith as pre payments above his $500k pa in say 2023 and probably 2024 minimum and now he wants to double dip.

For me that is by far the most likely scenario.

Play centre and double dip on $.

Back to team first comments:

For me we needed strong carries coming back from our left wing ie most right footed halves tend to kick a lot to the left winger……..Flanno has done well to minimise how teams can exploit us there. We also wanted a deadly kick return mix on that left with Rava, Suli coming at u they are metre eaters that set up our field position.

Then Flanno wanted a lot more attack on our kicks from Hunt going down our right side and he has that with Lomax on our right wing. Lomax can make it very difficult for the

The mystery I still see more than anything is Bird at right centre still looks very very clunky.

The other pieces work well so far.

Pe - the dragons just signed a left side winger Tuipulotuto to cover Rava if he is injured

Don’t we have Sione Finau signed on till end of 2025 who could be an exciting right side winger and can cover Lomax if injured. But reality for now is that Lomax can give us a lot at right wing. So he ain’t going anywhere until Bird is not possible at right centre any longer

 

[maestro1]

Worth noting that the nrl is in the process of rubber stamping a dispensation policy where recruited players from outside rugby league would have a percentage of their salary sit outside of the salary cap. Could end up being a bargain for us

For me the real issue is that Zac signed on till end of 2026 at only an average of $500k pa and that could be considered unders as at 2024.

He probably has been pre paid some of that amount in our easier salary cap years

So if he is actually on say $400k pa in 2024,25,26 (due to some pre payments) I wonder what really is going on here?

He knows the better centres get $750k pa.

That comment the other day he is on $800k pa was the stupidest bit of journo work I have seen in so long. Just fuelling BS. Every media group reported Zac was on $3mill for 5years. We would have pre paid anything we could of his average $500k pa to be ready for serious recruitment 2025 / 26.

He probably is being opportunistic knowing that if a new club only has to pay out say $400k pa for 24/25/26 he could get an upgrade and play centre at another club. That means he was paid in good faith as pre payments above his $500k pa in say 2023 and probably 2024 minimum and now he wants to double dip.

For me that is by far the most likely scenario.

Play centre and double dip on $.

Back to team first comments:

For me we needed strong carries coming back from our left wing ie most right footed halves tend to kick a lot to the left winger……..Flanno has done well to minimise how teams can exploit us there. We also wanted a deadly kick return mix on that left with Rava, Suli coming at u they are metre eaters that set up our field position.

Then Flanno wanted a lot more attack on our kicks from Hunt going down our right side and he has that with Lomax on our right wing. Lomax can make it very difficult for the

The mystery I still see more than anything is Bird at right centre still looks very very clunky.

The other pieces work well so far.

Pe - the dragons just signed a left side winger Tuipulotuto to cover Rava if he is injured

Don’t we have Sione Finau signed on till end of 2025 who could be an exciting right side winger and can cover Lomax if injured. But reality for now is that Lomax can give us a lot at right wing. So he ain’t going anywhere until Bird is not possible at right centre any longer

And this is where Uncle Nick steps in......he is extremely worried about Manu and Suailili going and Billy Smith's injury proneness. He could easily be 3 star outside backs short for season 2025. And that is where Buzz and his "journos" step in. They go to work to create a story and are basically telling Zac to show that he is pissed and has a great opportunity to move to a club that will set you up financially for the rest of your playing days and beyond. Flanno would be aware of this and has rightly doubled down and told Zac that he is going nowhere.

Politis is that concerned he is also working in the background to reverse the Suailili to Union situation.

 

[RedVee]

Not really a rumour, but I’m thinking that Kyle F & Shane F are a new entry on the list of Father - Son Dragons First Grade reps????

 

[jak]

And this is where Uncle Nick steps in......he is extremely worried about Manu and Suailili going and Billy Smith's injury proneness. He could easily be 3 star outside backs short for season 2025. And that is where Buzz and his "journos" step in. They go to work to create a story and are basically telling Zac to show that he is pissed and has a great opportunity to move to a club that will set you up financially for the rest of your playing days and beyond. Flanno would be aware of this and has rightly doubled down and told Zac that he is going nowhere.

Politis is that concerned he is also working in the background to reverse the Suailili to Union situation.

hate to agree with you but i think your absolutely right, you can almost smell uncle nick in the background.

 

[Parko1310]

Everyone is forgetting Robert Toia in all of this. The Roosters are not after Lomax. The Eels might be a different story. Lomax is under contract, if he wants to kick up a storm we'll have that conversation with him about his future I'm sure and reach an agreement where he stays, or where he goes and we get something in return.

If the story didn't have something in it, Lomax would have come out and shut this all down. Flanagan wouldn't have said what he said about having a conversation about next year. The reality is that Zac's player manager will be worried about his own pockets and doesn't want Zac to become a full time winger. Zac as we know has a pretty big ego, he might be happy at the club, but he might not be happy about being on the wing. That's fine as long as he puts in which he is. Zac might find that he likes playing on the wing yet, especially if conversations around rep football start coming up. The issue will be his manager getting in his ear which is already happening. Its very early days in all of this, so we will just have to see what happens. There is every chance Bird gets dropped and Lomax moves back to centre and all of a sudden he's happy to be there again. To the point though, Lomax will not go to the Roosters

 

[Dragon David]

He we are off to a decent start to the 2024 NRL campaign. The players are doing a fine job and you can see that they are happy. Why is it that there always has to be some bloody thing muddying the waters that we seem to cop on a yearly basis? Why isn't this club able to have a year of smooth sailing win, lose or draw? Always someone having a stab at the club or there are players whinging or causing trouble?

I want to see this club become a success again without any dramas along the way.

 

[TheRev]

I listened to Flanno on a MMM podcast this morning, there is definitely something there.. but Flanno said the same thing I said yesterday, that if he can play a few more games like Round 1... there is a pretty good chance he will have a different view on the whole situation... winning does that.. being talked about as an Origin winger.. while perhaps initially pissing him off... will I think have a nice ring to it after he stops to reflect... hell.. imo he might even say 'Thankyou' for opening his eyes.

Flanno is no fool though (as we saw with Hunt), if Lomax ends up going.. he will make sure the club isn't disadvantaged out of it.