‘Not a chance in hell’ Zac Lomax earns in the NRL what he can get in rugby, agent says
Zac Lomax’s agent has declared his client will earn far more in rugby than he ever could in the NRL, slamming suggestions of mismanagement following multiple contract controversies.
Zac Lomax’s agent has declared his client will earn far more in rugby than he ever could in the NRL, slamming suggestions of mismanagement following multiple contract controversies.
Clinton Schifcofske has been guiding Lomax’s career since the 26-year-old’s early teens, but recently Lomax has walked out on contracts with NRL clubs St George Illawarra Dragons and Parramatta Eels.
After talks with Melbourne Storm failed - with the Eels winning a court case preventing Lomax from signing with their rival until 2028 –
he signed a two-year contract with the Western Force and Rugby Australia.
Lomax is understood to have
left a heap of money on the table with his double exits.
Zac Lomax has officially joined the Western Force. Picture: Getty Images
He was reportedly on $900,000 a season at the Dragons before being granted a release two years early, to join the Eels on $750,000 a year.
Lomax asked for, and was granted a release from Parramatta last year after being offered a deal by the rebel R360 competition for a reported $1.3 million a season.
When R360 suddenly delayed their start until 2028,
Lomax approached RA, who offered him $350,000 a season.
Melbourne Storm then came in, offering to pay the Eels $250,000 and pick up Lomax’s remaining $500,000 salary, but the Eels blocked the move, so he took up the rugby offer.
While he’s lost out in the interim, Schifcofske said Lomax’s move to union would yield significant returns later, seemingly ending any chance of a return to the NRL in future.
“No one knows what Zac’s on and it’s no one’s business, but he hasn’t taken a haircut at all,” Schifcofske told Code Sports.
“If he’s the real deal in rugby union, which I think he will be, he’ll be rewarded.
“As a centre and a winger in rugby league, they’re the least paid players in the team.
Zac Lomax leaves Federal Court during his case vs the Parramatta Eels. Picture: NewsWire
“You look at (Roosters winger) Mark Nawaqanitawase, he’s going to Japan now and he’ll be earning in excess of a million dollars, way over.
“There’s not a chance in hell of an NRL winger getting that sort of money here, or a centre even.
“But it’s not about the money for Zac. It’s about the opportunity to go and do something different, and he’s brave enough to make that decision as well. So I commend him on that.”
Schifcofske set the record straight on the Storm situation – with Lomax accused of having rugby as his second preference after seeking a deal with Melbourne to remain in the NRL.
Mark Nawaqanitawase is among those leaving the NRL for rugby. Picture: Getty Images
“He wanted to do the R360 thing,” Schifcofske said. “He knew the pros and the cons and the pitfalls of it, and he’s prepared to take that chance.
“We had an idea of what he wanted to do if that didn’t eventuate, and it was rugby union.
“Then obviously the Storm come knocking – we didn’t explore that. Every NRL player in the comp is going to listen to the Storm if they come knocking.
“Obviously, that didn’t work out.
“That just made it easier for him anyway. He took the option that was his preference in the first place.
Zac Lomax has spoken for the first time since leaving the NRL.
“He’s been across to meet (coach) Simon Cron a couple of times in the Western Force. They got on really, really well. They’ve connected great, so I think he’s going to be good for him.
“He’s got the potential, if he’s good enough, to be a dual international as well.”
Lomax, who played rugby until the age of 13, said he had no regrets about how his NRL career had unravelled, and applauded Schifcofske, the former NRL star who switched to rugby with Queensland Reds and Ulster in the early 2000s.
“It’s me that’s made the decisions and it’s me that has the consequences, no one else, so at the end of the day it’s my decisions and they’re the ones that I’ve made,” Lomax said.
Zac Lomax during his time with the Eels. Picture: Getty Images
Zac Lomax left the Dragons for Parramatta. Picture: Getty Images
“But it’s one that I stick by, and for me it was initially to go and play rugby union and I’ve been in constant communication with the team and here we are.”
In response to claims he is a serial contract breaker, Lomax replied: “In regards to everything previously, there’s obviously been a narrative out there that’s about.
“But for me, I’m so stoked, and everyone at the Force has showed the faith in me, and Rugby Australia, and I can’t wait to get there.
“I’m super looking forward to it, my family’s going to move with me, I can’t wait.
Clinton Schifcofske, Zac Lomax’s manager, left his rugby league career for a stint with the Reds.
“My manager’s been really good for me, and he was someone that went over and changed codes.
“When I signed with him and the management team when I was 13, it was a major factor too because of the experience and the contacts that he had in rugby union, and he’s always has a strong light when he talks about rugby union and that fills me with a lot of confidence.”
RA boss Phil Waugh said they were never going to be able to offer Lomax what he was earning in the NRL, but echoed Schifcofske’s sentiment that the former State of Origin star can cash in later.
“We’ve been really disciplined around what we’ve done in the organisation over the last period of time, and those conversations and what rugby offers as a proposition is very different to the environment that he’s been in,” Waugh said.
“So we’re really excited to have Zac with that drive, with that aspiration, to ultimately wear a gold jersey at the World Cup.”
Zac Lomax and Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh. Picture: Getty Images
Schifcofske said Lomax had handled the intense scrutiny and criticism well.
“He was joking with me that it’s him and us against the world at the moment,” Schifcofske said.
“It feels that way, but that’s OK. That’s part of the business, people are entitled to have their opinions.
“I know Zach trusts us. He’s got a small circle that he trusts. He’s got a great family with his partner Kayla, and mum Sheree and dad Brad.
“And he’s the type of kid where this will only make him work even harder to achieve a goal.
“I’ve never met a player who has that confidence and self-belief in himself.
“But that’s easy to have. You’ve got to have the work ethic and the professionalism to go with it, and that’s what he’s got.
“He says he’s going to do something and he does it. That’s really rare in professional sport.”
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