AUSTRALIA international Zac Lomax faces two years out of the NRL after settling an extraordinary legal dispute with his former club Parramatta Eels.
Lomax was one of the stars of the competition after scoring 49 tries in 114 appearances for St George Illawarra Dragons and moving to Parramatta on a four-year deal ahead of the 2025 season.
But the New South Wales and Kangaroos winger was granted a release from that contract last November to pursue a move to the R360 rugby union breakaway franchise competition.
Shortly afterwards, R360 postponed its planned launch by two years, from 2026 to 2028, leaving Lomax in limbo.
Parramatta agreed to his release on the condition he could not sign for another NRL club without the Eels’ consent until the end of 2028, when his original contract would have expired.
When Melbourne Storm made an approach to sign Lomax, Parramatta began legal proceedings against the player to enforce their contract conditions.
The Eels say they are willing to let Lomax sign elsewhere if they receive adequate compensation, although they rejected an offer of AU$300,000 from Melbourne.
Shortly before the case was due to be heard at New South Wales Supreme Court on Tuesday, Lomax settled by agreeing to the original terms of his release, while Parramatta agreed to reduce the restriction by one year, to the end of 2027.
But it still means Lomax faces being unable to play in the NRL for two seasons, unless a club agrees a significant financial package or player swap deal with the Eels.
Lomax could also look at further options in rugby union, or move to Super League.
In a statement, Parramatta said they “are willing to work with Zac and his agent to find an NRL club that wants to sign Zac in exchange for the Eels receiving appropriate value for its football programme”.
Eels chairman Matthew Beach said: “The legal case was never about preventing Zac from returning to the NRL. It was about ensuring that the terms of Zac’s release, which Zac agreed to after seeking legal advice, were adhered to.”
Melbourne, meanwhile, have agreed to pay legal costs of AU$250,000 to Parramatta.
Their chairman, Matt Tripp, said: “We are disappointed for Zac and for the game of rugby league. Zac is a star player and quality person who will now remain on the sidelines until 2028.
“We hope to see Zac return to the NRL in the coming years and haven’t ruled out the prospect of Zac playing for the Melbourne Storm in the future.”
In an ironic coincidence, the two clubs begin their NRL campaigns against each other on Thursday at Storm’s AAMI Park.