Zac Lomax

[Gareth67]

Yep , it’s too late now for Mr. Lomax to be having second thoughts about his contract with the Eels . Flanno did not want him to leave , nor his teammates ( I believe ) but young Zachary wanted to make his way out West , and of all places to Parramatta , crikey !

I am sure that the NRL would support the Eels if he attempted to get out of his contract . Who knows Parramatta may even request compensation from the Dragons ( or perhaps Lomax himself as he is the individual breaking the contract ) if they decided to release him so as he may continue to play with the Big Red V .

Flanagan improved his game immensely by playing him on the wing and now it would seem that another club shall benefit from that move - and at a far cheaper price .

 

[Carrera28]

TBH I don't mind players leaving who don't want to be there, everyone said we were crazy to let Matt Dufty go and he hardly set the world on fire at the Dogs and is good but hardly amazing at Warrington.

Similarly Josh Dugan was never close to being as good for the Sharks as he was for us and while McInnes has worked his butt off at Cronulla he has not played as well since he left us.

The only recent player I regret leaving is Gareth Widdop who as captain and playmaker left a hole that was very hard to fill and whose departure really dramatically reduced our on field capability. That is why I applaud the way we played hardball with Hunt as it is too hard to recruit halves in a hurry.

I think it is very easy to rightfully be critical our recruitment decisions and our decision to recruit and then extend the contract of Hook were both terrible decisions. However, I think on the whole the club has made the right decisions regarding letting players go and if Lomax does not want to be here at $875k then we have done everything we can to keep him and to pay more is too much.

On balance the club is:

i) Debt free
ii) Constructing a world class training and rehabilitation centre
iii) Developing a strong association with a University which will give us access to resources and knowledge
iv) We have a long term sponsorship deal with Squadron Energy
v) we have recruited a 'hard head' in Damien Cook who will bring experience and a strong team attitude to the club that has been missing.
vi) Owns the best jumper in the NRL
vii) We finally have a coach who has focused on culture and appears to have a road map to improving the team and is not focused on quick wins but developing a long term winning culture.
viii) One half of the Joint Venture, the St George Leagues club remains both cash and asset rich and has the capacity to buy the other JV partner out if they lose interest.

The main long term stress point for me remains WIN Corporation which seems reluctant to invest in developing the club but also reluctant to let someone else into heir place who will. The old saying sh#t or get off the pot seems to be relevant there.

I see the club has learned many of the lessons from its mistakes since 2010 and is working a methodical plan towards developing a strong sustainable future rather than quick wins that are rarely easy to maintain. If WIN Corp would decide to step up and work like Uncle Nick and bring the big end of town to the party we would be developing towards a powerhouse.

However, after reading today WIN Corp has closed some its broadcasting in regional areas and has been losing money in WA and Tasmania the powerbrokers have bigger issues than a football club and may be open to selling a loss maker whose main value is for publicity for the dying medium of free to air TV.

I remain positive however about the club and its plans for the future, however WIN Corp as an owner remains of concern both for their inactivity and for their long term financial viability.

 

[Dragon David]

TBH I don't mind players leaving who don't want to be there, everyone said we were crazy to let Matt Dufty go and he hardly set the world on fire at the Dogs and is good but hardly amazing at Warrington.

Similarly Josh Dugan was never close to being as good for the Sharks as he was for us and while McInnes has worked his butt off at Cronulla he has not played as well since he left us.

The only recent player I regret leaving is Gareth Widdop who as captain and playmaker left a hole that was very hard to fill and whose departure really dramatically reduced our on field capability. That is why I applaud the way we played hardball with Hunt as it is too hard to recruit halves in a hurry.

I think it is very easy to rightfully be critical our recruitment decisions and our decision to recruit and then extend the contract of Hook were both terrible decisions. However, I think on the whole the club has made the right decisions regarding letting players go and if Lomax does not want to be here at $875k then we have done everything we can to keep him and to pay more is too much.

On balance the club is:

i) Debt free
ii) Constructing a world class training and rehabilitation centre
iii) Developing a strong association with a University which will give us access to resources and knowledge
iv) We have a long term sponsorship deal with Squadron Energy
v) we have recruited a 'hard head' in Damien Cook who will bring experience and a strong team attitude to the club that has been missing.
vi) Owns the best jumper in the NRL
vii) We finally have a coach who has focused on culture and appears to have a road map to improving the team and is not focused on quick wins but developing a long term winning culture.
viii) One half of the Joint Venture, the St George Leagues club remains both cash and asset rich and has the capacity to buy the other JV partner out if they lose interest.

The main long term stress point for me remains WIN Corporation which seems reluctant to invest in developing the club but also reluctant to let someone else into heir place who will. The old saying sh#t or get off the pot seems to be relevant there.

I see the club has learned many of the lessons from its mistakes since 2010 and is working a methodical plan towards developing a strong sustainable future rather than quick wins that are rarely easy to maintain. If WIN Corp would decide to step up and work like Uncle Nick and bring the big end of town to the party we would be developing towards a powerhouse.

However, after reading today WIN Corp has closed some its broadcasting in regional areas and has been losing money in WA and Tasmania the powerbrokers have bigger issues than a football club and may be open to selling a loss maker whose main value is for publicity for the dying medium of free to air TV.

I remain positive however about the club and its plans for the future, however WIN Corp as an owner remains of concern both for their inactivity and for their long term financial viability.

Thanks for your well thought out post Carrera.

I agree with your last sentence. The decision to agree to WIN Corp being a part owner in hindsight was poor. We know who should have been the other part owner but that is history now, however, we could be a completely different Rugby League Club and flourishing with great footy results. Oh well, fingers crossed that the powers that be fixes things for the better one day. There are signs that this is happening as pointed out by you.

 

[Blood Shot Eyes]

Don.t feel bad mate all us Dragons supporters are dazed and confused

I've been dazed and confused since 2010 if that helps

 

[jak]

TBH I don't mind players leaving who don't want to be there, everyone said we were crazy to let Matt Dufty go and he hardly set the world on fire at the Dogs and is good but hardly amazing at Warrington.

Similarly Josh Dugan was never close to being as good for the Sharks as he was for us and while McInnes has worked his butt off at Cronulla he has not played as well since he left us.

The only recent player I regret leaving is Gareth Widdop who as captain and playmaker left a hole that was very hard to fill and whose departure really dramatically reduced our on field capability. That is why I applaud the way we played hardball with Hunt as it is too hard to recruit halves in a hurry.

I think it is very easy to rightfully be critical our recruitment decisions and our decision to recruit and then extend the contract of Hook were both terrible decisions. However, I think on the whole the club has made the right decisions regarding letting players go and if Lomax does not want to be here at $875k then we have done everything we can to keep him and to pay more is too much.

On balance the club is:

i) Debt free
ii) Constructing a world class training and rehabilitation centre
iii) Developing a strong association with a University which will give us access to resources and knowledge
iv) We have a long term sponsorship deal with Squadron Energy
v) we have recruited a 'hard head' in Damien Cook who will bring experience and a strong team attitude to the club that has been missing.
vi) Owns the best jumper in the NRL
vii) We finally have a coach who has focused on culture and appears to have a road map to improving the team and is not focused on quick wins but developing a long term winning culture.
viii) One half of the Joint Venture, the St George Leagues club remains both cash and asset rich and has the capacity to buy the other JV partner out if they lose interest.

The main long term stress point for me remains WIN Corporation which seems reluctant to invest in developing the club but also reluctant to let someone else into heir place who will. The old saying sh#t or get off the pot seems to be relevant there.

I see the club has learned many of the lessons from its mistakes since 2010 and is working a methodical plan towards developing a strong sustainable future rather than quick wins that are rarely easy to maintain. If WIN Corp would decide to step up and work like Uncle Nick and bring the big end of town to the party we would be developing towards a powerhouse.

However, after reading today WIN Corp has closed some its broadcasting in regional areas and has been losing money in WA and Tasmania the powerbrokers have bigger issues than a football club and may be open to selling a loss maker whose main value is for publicity for the dying medium of free to air TV.

I remain positive however about the club and its plans for the future, however WIN Corp as an owner remains of concern both for their inactivity and for their long term financial viability.

great post mate, well done

 

[Harry Bath]

TBH I don't mind players leaving who don't want to be there, everyone said we were crazy to let Matt Dufty go and he hardly set the world on fire at the Dogs and is good but hardly amazing at Warrington.

Similarly Josh Dugan was never close to being as good for the Sharks as he was for us and while McInnes has worked his butt off at Cronulla he has not played as well since he left us.

The only recent player I regret leaving is Gareth Widdop who as captain and playmaker left a hole that was very hard to fill and whose departure really dramatically reduced our on field capability. That is why I applaud the way we played hardball with Hunt as it is too hard to recruit halves in a hurry.

I think it is very easy to rightfully be critical our recruitment decisions and our decision to recruit and then extend the contract of Hook were both terrible decisions. However, I think on the whole the club has made the right decisions regarding letting players go and if Lomax does not want to be here at $875k then we have done everything we can to keep him and to pay more is too much.

On balance the club is:

i) Debt free
ii) Constructing a world class training and rehabilitation centre
iii) Developing a strong association with a University which will give us access to resources and knowledge
iv) We have a long term sponsorship deal with Squadron Energy
v) we have recruited a 'hard head' in Damien Cook who will bring experience and a strong team attitude to the club that has been missing.
vi) Owns the best jumper in the NRL
vii) We finally have a coach who has focused on culture and appears to have a road map to improving the team and is not focused on quick wins but developing a long term winning culture.
viii) One half of the Joint Venture, the St George Leagues club remains both cash and asset rich and has the capacity to buy the other JV partner out if they lose interest.

The main long term stress point for me remains WIN Corporation which seems reluctant to invest in developing the club but also reluctant to let someone else into heir place who will. The old saying sh#t or get off the pot seems to be relevant there.

I see the club has learned many of the lessons from its mistakes since 2010 and is working a methodical plan towards developing a strong sustainable future rather than quick wins that are rarely easy to maintain. If WIN Corp would decide to step up and work like Uncle Nick and bring the big end of town to the party we would be developing towards a powerhouse.

However, after reading today WIN Corp has closed some its broadcasting in regional areas and has been losing money in WA and Tasmania the powerbrokers have bigger issues than a football club and may be open to selling a loss maker whose main value is for publicity for the dying medium of free to air TV.

I remain positive however about the club and its plans for the future, however WIN Corp as an owner remains of concern both for their inactivity and for their long term financial viability.

If the Board has any credibility it should be sounding out a replacement backer rather than WIN ,Free to air television will soon be a thing of the past, so instead of just waiting for WIN to collapse there should be discussions held for WIN to sell its 50% share to a more invested financially sound partner, maybe Twiggy would like to own half a NRL team?

 

[Dragon David]

If the Board has any credibility it should be sounding out a replacement backer rather than WIN ,Free to air television will soon be a thing of the past, so instead of just waiting for WIN to collapse there should be discussions held for WIN to sell its 50% share to a more invested financially sound partner, maybe Twiggy would like to own half a NRL team?

Yes please!

 

[FlickFlano]

You want the board including the current chair, and daughter of Gordon to replace themselves

 

[Nich]

If the Board has any credibility it should be sounding out a replacement backer rather than WIN ,Free to air television will soon be a thing of the past, so instead of just waiting for WIN to collapse there should be discussions held for WIN to sell its 50% share to a more invested financially sound partner, maybe Twiggy would like to own half a NRL team?

LOL, Gordon is worth a Billion dollars. Win isn't about to collapse.

 

[Slippery Morris]

Back to Zac, I an so curious to know what is going through the mind of young Blaize? Surely reading these articles he is thinking more and more about joining Saints. Just to work with Flanno would be appealing as he will surely bring out the best in him. Also Zac looks happy as Larry at the moment. If he did lookk disgruntled he would be thinking less about joining but he must look at Saints and the playing group and the morale and environment of the playing group must look more pleasing than Parra especially if he gets a pretty decent upgrade in cash as well. It would be a win win.

I have a feeling Talagi is being respectful and waiting for the new coach to come before he signs with Saints or whoever. POS has me worried about Newcastle landing him instead. Lets see what the new coach to say to him which will be hard to top what they have shown in the past to bring out the best in players seeing they will have no experience in the NRL.

Also it appears the Parra player contracts are messy so may not be able to keep Blaize or may have to shed a few players. Looks like with Zac they have plenty of the salary cap spent on the backs and should maybe use it to strengthen other areas like their aging forwards.

If Zac took a pay cut to join Panthers, Storm or Roosters I would understand but Parra? That is what I find hard to believe. If it were the big 3 then no questions will be asked.

How funny would it be if Saints end up with both Talagi and Zac.

 

[jay mac]

Back to Zac, I an so curious to know what is going through the mind of young Blaize? Surely reading these articles he is thinking more and more about joining Saints. Just to work with Flanno would be appealing as he will surely bring out the best in him. Also Zac looks happy as Larry at the moment. If he did lookk disgruntled he would be thinking less about joining but he must look at Saints and the playing group and the morale and environment of the playing group must look more pleasing than Parra especially if he gets a pretty decent upgrade in cash as well. It would be a win win.

I have a feeling Talagi is being respectful and waiting for the new coach to come before he signs with Saints or whoever. POS has me worried about Newcastle landing him instead. Lets see what the new coach to say to him which will be hard to top what they have shown in the past to bring out the best in players seeing they will have no experience in the NRL.

Also it appears the Parra player contracts are messy so may not be able to keep Blaize or may have to shed a few players. Looks like with Zac they have plenty of the salary cap spent on the backs and should maybe use it to strengthen other areas like their aging forwards.

If Zac took a pay cut to join Panthers, Storm or Roosters I would understand but Parra? That is what I find hard to believe. If it were the big 3 then no questions will be asked.

How funny would it be if Saints end up with both Talagi and Zac.

I think one of the things that Flanno has done really well, and in some respects has gone unnoticed, is put pressure on other clubs in the player market. For example, in the past twelve months Saints have been negotiating with Reece Robson and a couple of the young Cowboys backrowers, which in turn resulted in cap pressure at the Cowboys and them choosing to release Luciano to us. By all accounts, we were also in there swinging with AFB, Turuva, Angus Crichton et al, all of which has forced other clubs to pay more than they otherwise would have, and putting cap pressure on those respective clubs. Thanks to Flanno's roster management and negotiation strategy, I think we will find a similar situation will arise at the Eels and they will need to choose between Talagi and Lomax. Given these two would also theoretically be vying for the same position, I expect one will be in the Red V next year and, at the risk of sounding optimistic, I'm going to celebrate feeling like we are in the driver's seat for once in a long, long time.

 

[TheRev]

Agree, I like us pressuring all the clubs to make sure they dont -resign them for massive unders.. Chrichton and Walker for the roosters are 2 good examples.. the roosters have millions spare, and they should be paying these guys what their worth.. but they always try to short-change their own, so they can go external.

Anyway as for Parramatta, I actually think if they get rid of Sivo, they can fit Lomax and Talagi.. thats what pi$$es me off the most.. they might somehow come out of an absolute $hit of a year holding all aces... they dont deserve it.

 

[56to66]

MSN

Surely if Wayne Bennett can do it, Brian Smith can make a comeback.

 

[RedVee]

MSN

Surely if Wayne Bennett can do it, Brian Smith can make a comeback.

But as you suggest, he is younger than Bennett!

 

[Dragsters]

Surely if Wayne Bennett can do it, Brian Smith can make a comeback.

But as you suggest, he is younger than Bennett!

Perhaps but he has been out of the game for a long time...

 

[Inisai Toga]

Perhaps but he has been out of the game for a long time...

Yeh, he’d have to learn what the 6 again penalties are all for. Equivalent to a Bachelors degree …

 

[VodkaSaint]

Lomax has stuffed himself up big time and just shows how dumb he can be , to take half a mill less to move and 4 years at that not knowing what is happening in the future.
and it is happening right now, The Eels could lose both half's and the re build could take years .
He could not have chosen a worse club to get aboard on right now and the unlucky part was they were travelling ok at the time he got conned both by Arthur who thought he was staying at the Eels and then got conned by the EEls board who refused to add the clause to be released if Aurthur was sacked knowing they had a tomahawk axe waiting to take Aurthur's head off after Lomax signed and cooling off period gone.

 

[SAP58]

But as you suggest, he is younger than Bennett!

Everyone is younger than Bennett, not sure he is the messiah that Souths think he is at his age. When did he win his last premiership ? IMO Bellyache is the best coach by a country mile he just doesn’t sell himself to the highest bidder every 2-3 yrs.

 

[Dragon David]

Everyone is younger than Bennett, not sure he is the messiah that Souths think he is at his age. When did he win his last premiership ? IMO Bellyache is the best coach by a country mile he just doesn’t sell himself to the highest bidder every 2-3 yrs.

Well we know that in 2028 the "new" coach taking over from Bennett at Souths will end up like Demetriou, etc and Souths will be in the bottom 9 (I'm anticipating the 18th club will be in by then).

 

[Ghostrider22]

Thanks for your well thought out post Carrera.

I agree with your last sentence. The decision to agree to WIN Corp being a part owner in hindsight was poor. We know who should have been the other part owner but that is history now, however, we could be a completely different Rugby League Club and flourishing with great footy results. Oh well, fingers crossed that the powers that be fixes things for the better one day. There are signs that this is happening as pointed out by you.

DD and Carrera the decision to go with WIN was a bad bad decision it was to keep all the board jobs not to help or have stability at club land only for the board. If Paul Smith took over you wouldn’t have seen any of them all gone as Paul stated it was a dumpster fire.