I have taken a look at Zac Lomax's stats compared with all of our collective wingers used in 2024.
And, well, it's not hard to see that Lomax fills a glaring need for a decent back line player.
Sure, Lomax wouldn't be coming here to play on the wing, but his raw numbers show a player putting out consistency in a non-preferred position.
He gets through a lot of work, averaging 22 runs per game and about 120 running metres. He also takes his fair share of hit ups, and unlike our wingers, actually runs from dummy half.
Even Dragons supporters have noted his willingness to do the hard yards.
It's something I feel is severely lacking in Parramatta's backline. Not that our backs shirk their workloads, but that they won't do extras. This seems to be a gameplan decision by Brad.
We use our wingers and centres to start sets but then immediately look to our forwards to drive us forward.
Juxtapose this with Penrith, whose top 4 metre-eaters are backline players, and 3 of their top 5 hit up runners are backs.
Penrith use their backs like forwards, then use their props to either rumble down the middle once they cross halfway, or aggressively pin their opponents up the other end of the field.
If Parramatta are going to evolve their attacking style and game plan, Lomax could be a big part of it.
Replies
Yeah it makes sense, and we currently have Russell on the wing catching a cold. Besdies bringing in a quality outside back, and as you say we need to refine how we use those backs, and how they can help to set up field position. We can't win games through the forwards alone.
Russell is a worker and puts his body on the line. Except you can see his ceiling is limited. He will have a decent NRL career and will crack 100 or so games. But he will never be more than a steady Winger, constant 6/10 a week in this league. With Lomax on the right will he improve? Well he will be scoring more tries that is for sure. Imagine Lomax with Sivo though?
I don't know if I'd want to shift Penisini. He and Russell seem to have developed a good understanding, especially alongside Moses.
I think Lomax and Sivo is the way forward should we get him.
That is my thinking. People saying put Lomax to right, but at same time why have two Centres adjusting at the same time. Lomax is a professional he will adapt to the left.
LB, what do you think BA would be telling Sivo after every game? clearly he's not performing at his best and hasn't been for a while.
I realise last week was his 1st game this season and he may have been a bit rusty but he seems to be in the same mindset as last year.
Yeah in all honesty i didn't think Sivo was all that bad but at the same nobody really stood out as being great either. Was he poor? Yes, but not the reason we lost like i have seen some people claim. Though, Lomax alongside him who is great in both attack and defence could rejuvenise Sivo. I feel Sivo is regressing due to age but he is still one of the better wingers the club has.
He was limping around late in the 1st half, but was fine in 2nd. I want to see him against Canberra and NQ to form my judgements but he is there to score tries more so and can do it. Look at Khan-Pereira for GC, he does not start their sets off at all, he was there purely for scoring tries. He wasn't doing that and was dropped. Sivo will be dropped when he stops scoring i believe.
It is wishful thinking though that the messages BA is giving will get through anytime soon as he has had issues of being lethargic and questionable in defence.
Replace Sivo with Turuva and our stats will go through the roof.
If it's glaringly obvious to fans that Sivo is lazy in attack and a liability in defence, then why da fck doesn't BA and his coaching staff see this!
Turuva isn't a possibility this year and I don't see him leaving Penref anyway.
As for Sivo, who in our current squad would you replace him with?
Turuva's talks with Penrith have broken down. So we may be in with a shot if we show an interest.
I've made my thoughts known re Sivo on countless occasions, I rate him and have done since a mate who supports the panthers told me to take a look at him playing lower grades there. I actually predicted before he played a game in blue and gold that he would go down as one of the eels greatest try scorers and whatever happens now that's been proven true. But I have to accept he needs to improve his out put a bit.
I agree with Coryn it's more his style of kick return that annoys me. When he returns well you will see him run across field a bit and pick a spot defender or a gap . When he returns poorly he just turns and runs at 3 and 4 defenders. It doesn't matter how big you are you will get hit and put upright if you do that.
At 30 and for such a pure power player he is probably nearing the end but if he can adjust a little bit he could still be useful for the duration of the current contract. It would be interesting to see him paired with a player like lomax who attracts defenders and can catch pass
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next