Zac Lomax’s Eels departure puts Jason Ryles’ squad in an interesting position.
The gun winger was granted an immediate release by Parramatta, playing only 19 games in the blue and gold despite signing a four-year contract.
According to CODE Sports, he was earning around $650,000, which the Eels will now be able to use to make a splash in the free agency market.
In the short term, Ryles will need to find a new man to fill Lomax’s position on the wing — and there’s three key contenders. And then, there’s the matter of middle forwards…
WHO COULD TAKE LOMAX’S WING SPOT?
Bailey Simonsson is the obvious man, having stayed at Parramatta despite an ugly contract stand-off after he slipped behind Dylan Brown in a reshuffled backline pecking order.
Simonsson is contracted until the end of 2027 and has proven to be a hardworking flyer, happy to take the tough carries from back-field.
Jordan Samrani is another option, having enjoyed a breakout season under Ryles in 2025, playing 13 games on the wing, at centre and off the bench as a roving middle forward.
The 23-year-old will only benefit from another pre-season and could be primed to make a starting spot his own next year, while the future of young gun Richard Penisini remains uncertain.
The 20-year-old, brother of star centre Will, was upgraded to the top 30 in March but is yet to finalise a new contract to remain at the club next season.
THE SALARY CAP
While Lomax’s departure frees up a significant amount of cap space, a host of other players are also off-contract.
Brown left for the Knights, while Brendan Hands, Joe Ofahengaue and Dean Hawkins have taken up opportunities in the Super League.
Haze Dunster, Joey Lussick, Dan Keir and Wiremu Greig were also released, while Shaun Lane and Bryce Cartwright both retired from NRL football.
Taking some of that cap space is new arrivals Jack de Belin and Jonah Pezet, while Parramatta also added Tallyn Da Silva and Dylan Walker to their ranks last year.
Looking ahead, Ryles also has calls to make on Charlie Guymer, Walker, Joash Papalii, Junior Paulo, Ronald Volkman, Toni Mataele and Will Penisini.
That group all are free to negotiate with rivals for the 2027 season as it stands, while Ryan Matterson is also on the outer after being given permission to go on loan last year.
Considering the mountain of moving parts, all roads point to the Eels making a big splash in the transfer market for the 2027 season — unless they sign one man right now.
