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The Rumours Thread

slippery5

Juniors
Messages
1,705
Is it a coincidence that I was told from someone inside the Storm that Lomax was in talks with them & he would be at Storm, the fact Nelson has his house for sale & playing reserve grade & not likely to return in the near future, is this one of Flanno's conditions to be a top tier player at club????
 

Auntie.Gerald

First Grade
Messages
7,279

Contracted till end of 2024

I wonder given we are letting go of depth players like Fegai x 2 if we might try and get Semi down here sooner and see what he has got

has upside like Rava and can play wing and centre
 

Draginzaaar

Bench
Messages
3,643
Yes, this may be an option but both Lomax and Bird are also right side players.

I worry that Suli does not set up his winger when passing the ball to his left, so I am not sure he will pass to Ravalawa from right to left.

If Parramatta wants a center and is happy to offer up their reserve grade five-eighth, then offer up Bird, not Lomax.
Why would they take Bird if they want Lomax?
 
Messages
15,494
Is it a coincidence that I was told from someone inside the Storm that Lomax was in talks with them & he would be at Storm, the fact Nelson has his house for sale & playing reserve grade & not likely to return in the near future, is this one of Flanno's conditions to be a top tier player at club????

Don't know if Lomax is heading to the Storm, but this is an interesting story that touches on Nelson which may be of interest -

 

Auntie.Gerald

First Grade
Messages
7,279
Just want to check in:

If Lomax does his ACL this weekend, that is a huge risk that he is taking by removing the 2025 and 2026 contract he had with the Dragons.

His value for 2025 and 2026 would definitely drop.

It also may slow down offers...............ie look what happened to Matt Lodge.
 

Auntie.Gerald

First Grade
Messages
7,279
I hear you

I just reckon there are a few pieces ie Lomax may want to go this season.

If so....... that is a bit of negotiation with a player swap, other clubs, vs what we want

This could take 4 weeks easily to negotiate and register - ........which is seriously dangerous for Lomax
 

Wolfgang90

Juniors
Messages
808
Eels approached Dragons re lomax yesterday morning before the Lomax announcement but dragons ceo told eels to wait until we made the announcement. Imo eels & lomax management already have a deal set up, they will announce it shortly.

If the eels want him this season to fill a centre spot then I would be demanding Jmaine Hopgood (signed until 2025) or Blaze Talagi (Player Option in 2025) in return. We could offer both of them extra years & of course they would need to agree to the swap. I would consider Junior Paulo who is on 900k until 2026 IF they contribute to his salary, he's 30yo while the other two are young. Hopgood would be a great fit for us imo.

I wouldn't want anyone else due to age/quality/fit.
 

Harry Bath

Juniors
Messages
317
Agree you would really be stupid to take that risk, so sounds like Eels are in Breach of Anti Tampering laws negotiating with a contracted player with nearly 3 years left on his contract what will the NRL do about this?
 

Auntie.Gerald

First Grade
Messages
7,279
Maybe it will be two step

maybe Lomax is confident of completing the 2025 onwards contact immediately ie within a week

then he works on 2024


the thing is though if he really wants to go now that has to be a club in 2024 who can make that happen plus 2025 and beyond

hence my suggestion it may take up to 4 weeks and that is a long time to be out of contract for 2025 and beyond…….when he previously had that safety net re if injuries strike now
 

TheRev

Coach
Messages
11,645
I'm still not sure anyone understands the exact situation his contract is now in.. think we will have to wait and watch.
 

Slippery Morris

First Grade
Messages
7,895
If a contract is already done for Eels then anti-tampering at it's best. Would love it if Lomax move confirmed and end of the season Eels are hit with some huge fine and Lomax is stuck with a club that will be in limbo for a few years to recover whilst he is there.

Looks like you don't need to wait if players contracts are up, just offer them more cash and they can find a reason like a positional switch, location is to far etc to get a release.

I really hope Flanno can make Saints a top 8 side again which I feel he can more than any other coach in the NRL apart from Bellamy, Robbo, Cleary or Wayne. I feel that Flanno is a top 5 coach in the NRL. Once that happens Saints can go open slather and pick up players without waiting on contract to expire as they clearly mean nothing. Being top 8 side will make it so much easier for retention so this year is vital for Flanno.

Brad Arthur is the Brian Smith of the league, top coach but one that will never win a comp I feel. He has had a top roster for the last 10 years or so and achieved 1 GF and lost more finals games than won. Brian Smith is actually better than Brad as his hit rate in finals is so much better than 1 GF in that length of time. Joseph Manu was an Eels junior so they really are clueless when it comes to their own. I really hope Saints can get Blaze out of this. Penesini and Zac in the centres should scare him of. Zac may even cop what Bud is and Blaze kills it only for him to be a back up to Penesini and Blaze.

I remember Parra did a similar thing ages ago to the Sharks signing Adam Dykes early only for him to go to the Eels busted up the following year and play terrible for the duration of his contract. Pretty big risk but hey, serves them right if they are anti-tampering. Aren't they another team that was fined heavily for salary cap breaches in the past? Seems they don't really care about the consequences as after that they had a strong roster and were finals bound most of the last 10 years.
 

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