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Canberra has vehemently denied expressing any interest in Zac Lomax after it was alleged in court that his lawyer had presented to Parramatta the Raiders, Storm and Perth as potential landing points for the star winger.
The Eels’ legal stoush with Lomax was back in the Supreme Court for the first of two directions hearings on Friday. The biggest revelation was that, by Christmas Eve, Lomax’s lawyer had claimed three clubs were potentially interested in taking him for the 2026 season.
The Raiders say they were never interested in Zac Lomax.Credit: Getty Images
Lomax’s former club, Parramatta, has commenced legal action in the NSW Supreme Court to stop the star centre signing with the Storm after he was released last year to join the now delayed Rugby 360 competition.
“On the 24th of December, on the evidence that we’ve got from the production material, there was contact made by his lawyer with the club to propose three different clubs for Mr Lomax to go to potentially,” said the barrister acting for Parramatta, Arthur Moses.
“One of them was the Storm, one of them were the Bears and one of them were the Raiders. Now there were three that they proposed in that communication.
“Prior to that communication, there had already been communication between the chair of the Melbourne Storm and Mr Lomax’s agent about a deal being done for him to go to the Storm.”
However, the Raiders were incensed with suggestions they ever had any interest in acquiring Lomax.
“That is absolute bullshit. Nobody has spoken about him, he’s never been mentioned,” Canberra chief executive Don Furner said.
“We haven’t got any space in the cap and we’re not looking for outside backs. I don’t know how they can make that up. That’s a lie.
“There was no conversation with Choc or Chimes [Lomax’s agent Clinton Schifcofske and Steve Gillis] about Zac Lomax. Absolutely zero.
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“[Suggestions we were interested are] rubbish, absolutely 100 per cent factually incorrect.”
The Perth Bears and one of the lawyers acting for Lomax, Ramy Qutami, were contacted for comment.
The parties will return to court later on Friday in a bid to determine when the matter will be heard. The Storm is hopeful the hearing will go ahead as originally scheduled from February 12, hoping a favourable outcome will allow Lomax to make his Storm debut against the Eels in the opening round of the season.
Parramatta, meanwhile, feel the scope of the case could potentially be widened to include the Storm as a party to proceedings, which would require the matter to be pushed back until after round one.
Justice François Kunc is likely to make a call on timings, after more material is produced, later on Friday.
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