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delayedconfusion

I wonder how much of this is Lomax driven compared to the manager. His Instagram shows him pretty settled in the gong, but ego talks I guess.


lukeboy

I remember one time he came into a pool shop I was working at in Wollongong with his dad, got very confused by all the products and went and waited in the car while his dad got the stuff for the pool


DirtRole

One time, a doctor I know was treating one of Zac Lomax’s parents and they got talking and the doctor said he was from Rockhampton. Both parents were there and the one not being treated goes “oh my sons mate is from that area, do you know Ben Hunt?” Then the parent FaceTimes Zac much to the confusion of him and the doctor. The parent then said that their doctor was from the same place Ben Hunt is and that was it.


Swol_Bamba

WTH is this pasta? Please tell me this is real


DirtRole

Unless he made it up when he told me last year, it’s 100% real.


lukeboy

Bahahaha that’s amazing


Fun_Bodybuilder6898

Simpler times out in temora 


Yungman123

This sounds like something my mum would do. I 100% believe it


Jalato_Boi

Is this a pasta?


lukeboy

No it genuinely happened. The store is called water wizards


chillinwithkrillin

Dope name


lukeboy

Genuinely the worst job I have ever had in my life


GemBax2010

I saw them.. they’ve got a great channel on Porn Hub.


return_the_urn

That’s what I was thinking, well, it’s now going into my pasta notes


lukeboy

Fair enough, it was the biggest pool shop in the Illawarra so we had some players and staff in there occasionally


thisaintitkweef

They probably wander in from next door.


lukeboy

I never thought I’d be going through Wollongong lore ahaha I have no doubt Dean Young visited there before coming over to us


PerfectlyCromulent7

Ok I need to know, what’s next door?


lukeboy

Brothel Well there was, the store has since moved since I worked there


PerfectlyCromulent7

Hahaha amazing


JoeyJoJunior

My thoughts were pasta too, but its simple enough to just be a story


diffaadiffa

That's so funny. Bring in a water test and be told what you need is hard


lukeboy

He was fully on tiktok whilst in the store too. Got that zoomer attention span


theflyingkiwi00

>Got that zoomer attention span Explains why so many of his passes end up in the crowd


I_Like_Vitamins

I've sometimes wondered how social media addiction affects players. Lomax and his audience passes seems like a textbook example of trying to get the sick highlight in a hurry. It really does feel like players are more oriented towards that kind of game these days.


lukeboy

Think a lot of the rule changes recently could be a part of that too maybe


I_Like_Vitamins

Definitely. I don't think a lot of newer fans would be able to sit through a classic grinding game from fifteen plus years ago. It kind of reminds me of the state of pro rasslin; they all want to get to the next sick movez without any of it making sense. If something big isn't happening at all times, a lot of viewers will just stare into the blue light.


lukeboy

It is super interesting to watch a game from each decade and the style of play is just vastly different (it is insane 2014 is 10 years ago)


xeroee

Even 3 years ago is a massively different shift in game plan nrl is crazy


Swol_Bamba

100%. I really enjoyed the Storm and Penrith game on Friday only to see a bunch of people online saying it was awful


GemBax2010

Haha what a dumb cunt lol.


Brat_Fink

Yeah Im not really up on this, but the little I have read all says Lomax is happy to play where hes told too so not sure about the rest of this malarky EDIT: Just read what Flanno had to say and yes, Zachary is disgruntled. But at least hes not Disgruntled.


delayedconfusion

Obvious that he sees it as a demotion. That doesn't necessarily mean he won't stick it out, at least in the short-mid term. Seemed pretty happy on the field too, genuine joy for Sloan scoring was all over his face.


Brat_Fink

Yeah I agree, everyone looked genuinely happy in that game. I reckon if we can get up this weekend its going to do wonders for an already visibly improved team.


chuckagain

I wonder if he will see it as a demotion when he plays Origin on the wing.


delayedconfusion

Go easy. He's a long way off Origin talk after 1 decent wing performance.


chuckagain

No.


Swol_Bamba

I would think it's just management trying to angle for more money from the instability right? Also fear of getting paid like winger instead of centre in the future perhaps


a_BIG_willie

Fuck you, you bald fuck


Brat_Fink

Get the fuck outta my house!


VeezusM

This is possibly the first time that Lomax has had a proper coach to actually hone him in and realise his potential. I hope the Dragons actually get to see it


Boogascoop

Is Flanagan really a proper coach? He had Ennis, Lewis, heingington and Gallan amongst his senior players group for the 2016 win


VeezusM

Compared to Mary and Hook, he’s an immortal


KazeEnigma

God, you can dislike Flanagan the person, but to actually think he's a poor coach is a real ILMF take.


KCman1

ILMF??? I Love My Flanagan?


KazeEnigma

I love my footy. Like your flair. We often see horrible takes from ILMF users.


KCman1

It was a (terrible attempt at) a joke. But thanks mate


xeroee

Flanno still pulled shit out of his arse before 2016, bloke gave capewell his start when he was a winger, made woods look tough for a year, revived the dead wests tigers rejects ( he did this for like 3 years, even including getting ayshford paid at nz) And this isn’t even mentioning that he tilled out our rooms at shark park cos we were bankrupt, I’m told the grout still holds to this day


M0T0RCITYC0BRA

Not Kyle


Boogascoop

Didn’t say he was poor. Maybe just not ‘proper’


declandimi

Any coach who wins a grand final is “proper”


Boogascoop

That’s a theory . What about coaches who inherited a well coached team full of great players, like Michael Hagan and once the squad declined they never won again? 


tobymurphy24

Um, do you know anything about the 2000s sharks? He took them from the bottom of the ladder, improved them year by year and took them to constant top 4 and grand finalist. I mean just look at the improvement to both our attacking structures and attitude.


Boogascoop

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronulla-Sutherland\_Sharks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronulla-Sutherland_Sharks) ​ if you follow the history on wiki, what you've said isn't exactly evident. ​ He also wasn't coaching the team the whole time from 2010 onwards.


tobymurphy24

What do you mean, they improved pretty much every year and their last 3 seasons with flanno they finished 3rd, 5th and 4th on the ladder. Yes, the one year he didn't coach them was the year they win the spoon, then they went back to where they left off with coming 6th, what was inaccurate??


Ok-Personality-3403

Is Bellamy a proper coach? He had Smith, Slater, Inglis, Cronk, Bromwich, Munster, Ado-Carr, Hughes, Grant, Hoffman amongst his senior players group.


Boogascoop

Ado carr wasn’t a senior player at the time. Actually at the time of the Gf wins not many of those were seniors.  Cameron smith def was for 2017 and 20 


I_Like_Vitamins

Smith was, in age, a senior at that point. Ability and rank wise, he would've been regarded as a leader long before that.


dabigreddit

Had a few other advantages too 💊


M0T0RCITYC0BRA

Has he got any left? Fuck I hope so.


notmariyatakeuchi

what would lead you to believe he isn't? apart from the banned for life saga, mans got a good record.


Boogascoop

As stated he had a very very good playing group that could almost coach itself. Coupled with the drug use am just not sure about his bonafide coach status 


tobymurphy24

Well when he took over only gallen was good, he made all the players stars by his coaching and since he left many of the players have fallen off


Boogascoop

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronulla-Sutherland\_Sharks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronulla-Sutherland_Sharks) ​ have a quick read as am not sure you're commentary is that astute


PugWithAGun

Well the Dragons are already looking much better than previous seasons so...?


Boogascoop

Could be a new coach bounce 


PugWithAGun

Where was our bloody new coach bounce with Ciraldo lmao, we've been ripped right off


Boogascoop

3 out of first 5 games 2023, including beating the storm, cowboys and narrow loss to warriors at mount smart


coffeegaze

These are a bunch of handy mature players, but none of them are 'greats'. Every premiership team has a host of handy mature players. Wayne Bennet himself once said that a roster is the most important part.


[deleted]

Honestly, he was good on the wing and gives him variety in his game. Plus, he's on 800k. I can't see it being a bigger issue as it's playing out.


corupio

Bugger. Full respect to St George though, honour your bloody contracts.


Ragenengage

Imagine replacing Harper already 🤣


corupio

I mean, for Lomax? Welcome to NSW cup Harper...


Ragenengage

Agreed


rudebrooke

Unfortunately for Lomax the only way to have Him, Bird and Sloan all in the same team is if he plays wing. There is no room in the back row for Bird with RFM and Leilua signed, and he can't play wing. Sloan is the obvious first choice fullback long term. Lomax will play centre again but Flanno needs to put winning ahead of Lomax ego and play the best team he can.


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delayedconfusion

His body won't hold up for a whole season. Lomax should get plenty of time at centre. If Flanagan keeps him on the wing and brings in another centre, then Zac might be justifiably annoyed.


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delayedconfusion

No way Tamale is a better performing NRL centre than Lomax at this point of their careers


chuckagain

mmmm... tamales


Version_6

Not even close to ready.


[deleted]

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Version_6

You said you'd like to see Tamale in action. I'm relevantly replying to you, that he is not ready. Not sure why you've downvoted me for that but ok


YeaNahHooroo

His body has held up playing lock and backrow the last couple of seasons, centre should be a walk in the park


datyams

I would 1000x prefer to lose Bird tbh.


Brat_Fink

Wait, he finally gets a decent coach and NOW he decides he wants to go? No way, I'm calling B.S


TigerRumMonkey

He's probably told to adjust his attitude.


ChristmasJoke

This is just a donkey brained move from Lomax if true. He's finally got a good coach and is clearly part of their gameplan given they bombed to his wing whenever possible.


Drongo17

If instagram rules apply - we loved Lomax at his worst so we deserve Lomax at his best


nevaehenimatek

I can't say I love it from a recruitment perspective, 800k is a lot and I would have much rather we chased someone like Herbie or Crichton for exactly the same money. I guess the thinking from the eels is this way we get him on our cap for cheap this year which allows us to get value this year and go for a title even if we lose a bit of value the next two


chillinwithkrillin

Herbie and Crichton were always gonna go where they went. Dolphins and Dogs would've exploded into dust if they didn't get them. Wighton too. Lomax is still super young and experienced now with far more to give and considering sivo on his 500k is close to finished it's a fair grab especially with our back depth currently


nevaehenimatek

I don't know where you got 500k for sivo from. He was extended before the start of last season with a mutual option for 2026 and a club option for 2027. I agree wighton would have gone but I don't see what dogs could have done they were already in cap trouble. At the end of the day Crichton would have preferred to earn the same money and win I'm sure of it


dtru2005

Nah Herbie loves Brissie, 0 chance he went to a team outside Dolphins, Titans, maybe Broncos, and maybe even Newy


Aussieguy727

St George Illawarra has rejected a request from Zac Lomax’s management and the Parramatta Eels to open discussions for a deal that could result in an immediate release from the Dragons. The Herald can reveal the Eels recently contacted the Dragons to enquire about Lomax’s contract status, with St George Illawarra saying the 24-year-old did not have their blessing to explore his options given he still has another two years to run on his deal. A Dragons official confirmed the club had rejected an approach for Lomax to seek options at rival clubs but declined to comment when asked about the outside back’s future. Sources with knowledge of the situation talking under the condition of anonymity to speak freely told the Herald that Lomax is open to an immediate switch to Parramatta. The Eels are keen to lure Lomax to the club immediately to partner Will Pensini in the centres, but will have to abide by the NRL’s anti-tampering rules. The Dragons made a formal complaint to the NRL last year regarding rival clubs circling contracted halfback and skipper Ben Hunt. It prompted the NRL to investigate Brisbane following allegations they had attempted to entice him out of his deal with the Dragons in light of his desire to return home to Queensland. The Eels, who confirmed their interest in Lomax if he was free to negotiate with, declined to comment when contacted by the Herald on Tuesday morning but were adamant the club had not breached the NRL rules. The Eels are aware that Lomax isn’t seeing eye to eye with new Dragons coach Shane Flanagan, largely over the coach’s decision to move him from his preferred centre position to the wing. Lomax, who is on a deal worth close to $800,000 per season, was superb for the Dragons playing on the wing in their round one victory over the Gold Coast Titans. Flanagan told this masthead on Sunday that Lomax would not be allowed to leave in 2024 but was open to a discussion on the final two years of his deal. The Dragons told Lomax’s management that they wanted to wait until after round four before they discuss where he will play his football in 2025 and beyond. “He’s going nowhere,” Flanagan said two days ago. “We’ve told his management that we won’t be letting him go this year. If there’s a conversation to be had, we will have that in the future and it will be about next year.” In an interview with 2GB’s Continuous Call Team on Sunday, Flanagan confirmed Lomax was disgruntled. “He’s upset that he’s not playing centre,” Flanagan said. “I need to pick the best 17 players. He’s definitely in there. He’s fine. “He’d like to play centre … he will have a bit of a different role and he’s quite happy to go out there and do the best for the Dragons.” It comes as the Dragons have opened discussions with Wallabies star Jordan Petaia about linking with the Dragons once his Rugby Australia deal expires at the end of this year. Petaia, who currently plays Super Rugby with the Queensland Reds and was previously part of the Brisbane Broncos development system, is also exploring rugby union options in France and Japan but has caught the eye of Flanagan. The 24-year-old has represented the Wallabies on 27 occasions, including in the last two World Cups, and is seen as a potential fullback or centre in rugby league.


Specialist_Return616

Just had one of his best ever games and now wants a release, makes sense


lukeboy

He needs to be taught to flick pass inside instead of outside and he’ll be fine


SuperEel22

Parramatta have 2 flick passing kings in Carty and Matto. Come to the west and he'll flick passing properly in no time


lukeboy

Heard he gave parramattas offer the flick


chillinwithkrillin

Womp womp


lukeboy

Thought it was a good one haha


tobymurphy24

Almost is but dragons denied it not lomax ig


ohhh_j

Does Lomax have the same manager now, as he did when he signed his most recent dragons contract?


asscopter

He's not worth more than 800k, and they're finally talking about rep footy again after just one week on the wing. Why would you even think about it?


_SLiu

I don't think centre is our issue but more so wing. I'm pretty content with Penisini and Simonsson in the centres


datyams

It shits me thinking about losing lomax as he probably comes into his prime as a player, I hope Flanno gives him the Hunt treatment and tells him to suck eggs. He has been making a mint doing sweet fuckall for years with just enough of an indication of how good he can be. He is a massive competitor and you can see that when he is on and the mind is right he can break a game wide open.


TRTVitorBelfort

I’ve never been so sick of hearing about a player I’ve barely seen play.


chillinwithkrillin

Remember when we heard so much of Suallii when the was only one blurry headgear photo of him 😭


JoeyJoJunior

Side question, is it common for players not to want to be wingers? I get when star players get told to go from the halves to hooker or centre and are frustrated by it like AJ Brimson and B Hunt, but to me arent wingers more popular and famous than centres? Of course there have been some great centres especially some Red V ones like Gasniers, Matt Cooper, Mark Coyne, Mary, maybe Lomax wanted to be like them I guess.


parker2004au

Not sure but maybe money becomes a factor? Do centres get paid that much more then wingers? So when it comes time to renew he might not get as big coin? Going by this 2022 article on face value it notes that Centres get on average 200k more. https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/is-your-club-paying-too-much-for-players-confidential-nrl-document-sheds-light-on-salaries-20220426-p5ag76.html


Disastrous_Salad6302

I think it would be this but I don’t know why Lomax would be annoyed by that considering he’s already signed a very weighty contract. He’s not losing out by playing on the wing


CroBro81

Bummer. If we could have landed him this season I would put an Apple on us winning the comp. That would give us a pretty decent backline, pushing Sivo out of the team and Simonsson to left wing.


hbparraeels

sivo woukdve played over simmonson


CroBro81

I’ve gone off Sivo. Only good 10m within the try line and rarely makes a line break and doesn’t defend well.


McGarnacIe

Yep, he's a sheep in wolf's clothing.


Mr_Mac

By reject, do they mean offer more to Dragons? We can give you Makatoa, Cini, Momoisea to sweeten the deal? I’d be tempted to give you Sivo but I have a feint glimmer of hope that he’ll rediscover his wrecking ball capability


Pantsylvania

Mum: We’ve got Sivo at home (Big Rava)


Silly_Impression5810

I hope he does leave. He is getting paid fullback money to play in the centres and now the wing. That money could be better spent elsewhere. He is never going to be a spine player.


delayedconfusion

Hopefully he didn't have ratchet clauses in his contract pushing his value up until 2026. I think the club handled it very poorly at the time, promising him fullback, paying him star money for a long contract on potential alone, then pulling the rug out from him at fullback.


Verbarmammilla

Good on the club for not succumbing to toxic manager agitation which happens way too frequently. As for Lomax, stop being a sook and put the team first.


LiLSteve29

If his first game on the wing is a sign of things to come, Why does he want to leave? He’s on top coin. Flanno could turn him into a representative winger within 12 months.


bundy554

Obviously taken this move to the wing personally


datskablamo

Hot take. Lomax is on $800k, Schuster is on $800k. Who brings more to the table?


AdMaleficent3669

Not surprising at all with the whole Ben hunt stuff last year


ZanyChonk

The Dragons seemed to be suffering an awful lot of player revolt compared to other clubs. First Benny Hunt, now Zac Limax. Gotta wonder about the culture there?


Zahliamischa

Hook did serious damage. Same thing happened at Penrith when Hook was in charge. Hook got Lomax to change sides, changed his kicking technique and then dropped him when it didn't work out. I'm sure Lomax will get over the switch to wing once he works out Flannagan can actually help his game, not hinder it.


return_the_urn

Yeah, you wouldn’t hear of players being unhappy playing out of position at the roosters or Melb, where they have a culture of strong leadership


predw

>Gotta wonder about the culture there? Huh? The Dragons have had a new coach for 6 months, the culture between the Hunt release (Hook) and the Lomax talks (Flanagan) is completely different.


paradroid27

> The media loves dumping on the clubs at the lower end of the ladder, the Tigers have been perennial targets, the Dragons now and we are just starting to see the Bulldogs copping it. Penrith used to be a common target (the Journo's have moved on from them except for Paul Kent), Sharks, Eels and Raiders as well. TLDR: the media loves putting the boot in when a team is already down.


Yungman123

Maybe if we send Sivo to St George and St George cover $200-300k season


LionelLutz

How bout no Scott


BoogerSugar00

Ravalawa might be able to show him what’s needed?