Parramatta Eels chief executive Jim Sarantinos has confirmed there’s a mutual agreement in place for Zac Lomax not to join another NRL club in the next three years as his move to R360 eventuates.
But in the same discussion the club boss has opened up on plans for the Eels to move on and look to the future.
Speaking on 2GB’s Wide World of Sports on Monday night, Sarantinos candidly admitted the interest in Lomax has been ongoing for months as the rebel competition started its plans for a raid on the NRL.
The immediacy of the release wasn’t what Sarantinos expected though, saying “it did come as a bit of a surprise”.
“When you sign a player for that length of time you don’t expect their heads to be turned in the first 12 months for other opportunities but there’s a few things that changed in the past 12 months,” he said.
“This competition being discussed (R360), whether it’s real or not, didn’t exist when we first signed Zac 12 months ago.”
The Eels boss also spoke of the change of coach at the club and how Brad Arthur had planned to use Lomax in the centres. Instead, Jason Ryles preferred the Origin star on the wing.
As for R360, Sarantinos said “there’s conflicting information all over the place” in terms of the competition’s legitimacy.
“I’m not sure what to believe. If anyone tells you they’re fully informed they’re probably not telling the truth,” he said.
But now the Eels have a reported $700,000-a-season off their books and will be going to market with Sarantinos looking towards the “long and short-term strategy” of the club.
“Obviously Zac is a representative quality player, with that we lose a key contributor to our club, but it also gives us some freedom,” he said.
As for reported interest in Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Keaon Koloamatangi, the CEO was coy, offering, “I can’t say a lot to be honest” before once again stating the club will look at 2026 and beyond when it comes to recruitment.
Sarantinos’ stance creates an interesting dilemma for the Eels if R360 does fall over and fail before the end of 2028.
If Lomax can only come back to the Eels – presuming Peter V’landys doesn’t follow through with his threat to ban him for 10 years for signing with the rebel competition – would the club even have the cap space to bring him back?
A similar situation happened when Valentine Holmes left the Sharks for an NFL dream.
In 2018, he announced he was leaving Cronulla with a year to run on his contract. The Sharks put a clause in the release that he couldn’t play for any other NRL club in 2019 if his attempt to make it in the NFL was unsuccessful.
Holmes returned in 2020 but for the Cowboys. By that time, the clause had expired.
In 2014 when Jarryd Hayne quit the NRL for the NFL, he declared he’d signed a “lifetime agreement” with the Eels that if he returned it’d be with them.
However, when Hayne wanted to come back in 2016, the Eels were in the midst of a salary cap scandal.
The club couldn’t get anywhere near the Titans’ million dollar offer and as such he signed with the Gold Coast.
Both situations show how fickle rugby league is.
Agreements are made, and in the end it’s common they don’t stick.
The long term strategy of the Eels may be to let Lomax do his own thing. Either way, the 26-year-old will be laughing to the bank.
