Storm Coach Laments Lomax’s Code Switch Amidst Contract Drama
Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has expressed his disappointment, labelling it a “shame” that promising player Zac Lomax has departed the NRL to pursue a career in Super Rugby with the Western Force. Lomax’s move follows a protracted contract dispute and a failed attempt by the Storm to secure his signature.
Lomax officially inked a two-year deal with the Force on Monday. In a lengthy press conference on Tuesday, he articulated his ambition to represent Australia at the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
The Storm had been keen to recruit the former representative star after he was granted a release from the Parramatta Eels. This release came just one season into a four-year contract, initially predicated on his supposed move to the rebel R360 competition. However, the decision to postpone the R360 league until 2028 left Lomax in a state of uncertainty. A specific clause within his release agreement explicitly prohibited him from signing with a rival NRL club without Parramatta’s consent.
This contractual hurdle ultimately scuppered his potential transfer to Melbourne, despite the Storm’s willingness to offer financial compensation to the Eels.
Bellamy conveyed his regret over the situation. “It’s a shame that we lost him,” he stated. “I don’t really know what happened at the end there, but I can understand his frustration and I can understand him leaving our game. That doesn’t make me feel better about it. I think we’ve lost one hell of a player to another code when we didn’t really have to. But even more importantly, we lost a really good person in our code.”
While Lomax would have undoubtedly added significant all-star quality to the Storm’s backline, the team appears to be adapting well in his absence. Bellamy has continued his remarkable streak of remaining unbeaten in Round 1 matches, evidenced by a resounding victory over the Eels in their season opener.
Fa’alogo Steps Up as Storm’s New Fullback
A key factor in the Storm’s early success has been the outstanding performance of Sua Fa’alogo at fullback. This marks a significant transition for the club as they move forward from the retirement of Ryan Papenhuyzen last year. A crucial off-season transformation in Fa’alogo’s fitness has evidently impressed Bellamy and convinced him that the young talent is ready to fill the pivotal fullback role.
“The big improvement in Sua’s overall being here is that he’s fit this year,” the veteran coach commented. “I’m not quite sure with his mindset last year whether he thought he was fit enough, but you’ve probably got to be the fittest guy in the team to play fullback. That’s the toughest position to play physically with the endurance. He came back a lot fitter this year, and I think that’s been the difference.”
Bellamy confirmed that Fa’alogo has been given the first opportunity at fullback. However, he also acknowledged the depth within the squad, stating, “We’ve given him first shot at it, but we’ve got a few other guys in our squad that can play fullback, so he’s not going to rest on his laurels.”
Storm Eyeing Dragons Challenge in Wollongong
Looking ahead, the Melbourne Storm face a challenging away fixture in Wollongong against the St. George Illawarra Dragons. The Dragons were on the wrong end of a heartbreaking golden point loss to the Bulldogs in their opening match in Las Vegas.
Despite their recent fortunes, the Red V have proven to be a difficult opponent for the Storm in recent times. The Dragons have secured victories in their last two encounters, including a hard-fought win in wet conditions approximately 12 months ago.
“They are a good side, they’re a big physical side,” Bellamy observed, highlighting the threat posed by Dragons players Clint Gutherson and Damien Cook, who are firmly on his radar.
Bellamy stressed the need for an improved defensive effort from his team. “We’ll need to defend a lot better than we did last week, and hopefully we can do that,” he stated. “They’ve got some good players in that side and some good halves, and they’ve got good experience in the spine with Gutherson and Cook at fullback and dummy-half, so they’ve got the brains there as well.”
