Eels and Storm reach shock out-of-court settlement over Zac Lomax NRL saga
Zac Lomax will not be able to play for the Storm until after 2028. (Getty Images: Mark Nolan)
In short:
Eels star Zac Lomax made an approach to the Storm after the rebel R360 league was postponed.
Lomax had been released by the Eels to join R360 with the caveat that he could not join a rival NRL club.
What's next?
The Storm has been left with $250,000 in legal costs, and the Eels can decide if Lomax rejoins the NRL before 2028.
The Parramatta Eels have declared the club won't be "steamrolled" after star winger Zac Lomax's audacious bid to join NRL rival Melbourne was blocked.
In a shock end to the sport's biggest off-season saga, the Storm and Eels reached an out-of-court settlement on Tuesday morning that gives Parramatta the power to determine whether Lomax can return to the NRL before the 2028 season.
The Eels remain open to striking a deal that would permit the NSW State of Origin winger to play with an NRL rival in 2026 and 2027, but only if they receive adequate compensation.
That could involve the Eels receiving a similarly elite player, who would need to consent to being traded for Lomax, or significant salary cap compensation from that rival club.
Parramatta Eels CEO Jim Sarantinos says the club won't be 'steamrolled' in negotations over Lomax's exit. (AAP Photos: Bianca De Marchi)
The Storm will be required to pay $250,000 of Parramatta's legal costs over their failed bid to lure Lomax, who had agreed not to join an NRL rival without the Eels' consent when the club released him to join R360 in November.
When the launch of the renegade rugby competition was postponed, Lomax began advances to join the Storm, triggering the Eels' legal action in the NSW Supreme Court.
"I think we've demonstrated through this process we're not going to be steamrolled," Eels chief executive Jim Sarantinos said.
Melbourne will foot their own legal bills and those of Lomax, who did not appear in court on Tuesday as the NRL clubs told Justice Francois Kunc they would not require a full-scale court hearing.
The Storm refused to offer up a high-profile player such as Xavier Coates (pictured) to the Eels in exchange for Lomax. (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)
Lomax will at least be permitted to return to the NRL without the Eels' consent for the 2028 season, a year earlier than initially agreed when he left Parramatta one year into a four-year deal.
The Eels were blindsided in late December to learn of Lomax's contract talks with the Storm but spent weeks working with the club on a deal that could've permitted the 26-year-old to join Melbourne.
The Storm had refused to swap Lomax for one of their own high-profile players in Jack Howarth, Stefano Utoikamanu or Xavier Coates, while the Eels knocked back a $300,000 payment.
Mr Sarantinos stressed the Eels held no personal grudge against Lomax, but they would not willingly strengthen a rival club without recompense.
"This was never about Zac personally, Zac's a good young man,"he said.
"We don't have any concerns about Zac playing in the NRL, we obviously want him to be able to move on with his life. But this is about … standing up for what's right for our club."
Eels head coach Jason Ryles and general manager of football Mark O'Neill will be the key men in deciding whether a proposed trade represents fair value for Parramatta.
The Eels are unlikely to entertain a transfer fee if the money cannot be put into the salary cap used to sign players.
The Eels and Storm face each other in round of the NRL season on Thursday in a spicy post-script to the saga.
Eels coach Jason Ryles (pictured) will have a big say in what the club accepts in exchange for Lomax. (Getty Images: Matt Blyth)
"It's a bit of rugby league poetry, isn't it?" Mr Sarantinos said, saying a win in Melbourne would be "a nice way to wrap this whole thing up".
Outside of the NRL, a switch to rugby union remains an option for Lomax.
While in limbo, he turned down offers to join Australia's Super Rugby competition, where he would've earned significantly less than his $700,000 Eels salary.
An overseas rugby union move could prove more lucrative, though Lomax has not played the 15-man code since childhood.
AAP