https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/factually-incorrect-raiders-deny-interest-in-lomax-after-courtroom-claim-20260206-p5o042.html
Canberra has vehemently denied expressing any interest in Zac Lomax after it was alleged in court that his lawyer had presented to Parramatta the Raiders, Storm and Perth as potential landing points for the star winger.
The Eels’ legal stoush with Lomax was back in the Supreme Court for the first of two directions hearings on Friday. The biggest revelation was that, by Christmas Eve, Lomax’s lawyer had claimed three clubs were potentially interested in taking him for the 2026 season.
However, the Raiders were incensed with suggestions they ever had any interest in acquiring Lomax.
“That is absolute bullshit. Nobody has spoken about him, he’s never been mentioned,” Canberra chief executive Don Furner said.
“We haven’t got any space in the cap and we’re not looking for outside backs. I don’t know how they can make that up. That’s a lie.
The parties will return to court later on Friday in a bid to determine when the matter will be heard.
Replies
Perth hey. So how do they meet Eels price of a like for like player. mmmm and Canberra are super pissed at being used as a landing spot in Lomax's saga.
Another Storm initiated masterpiece in writing/ reporting or perhaps a Gillies G S Sports Management leak to assist Lomax's restraint of trade arguments. The speculation continues.
Im starting to really not give a crap about Lomax. I don't want our club focusing on this when the season starts. Is that wrong ?
We have to believe the (Eels) Club can walk and chew gum at the same time. Isn't something like this literally their job? Moreover, I cannot see how the Eels' team would be distracted. They're in pre-season doing their thing. By contrast, we still have Storm players mentioning Lomax might be in the backs, who knows, and the Storm have Coates and Warbrick (sp?) so Storm centres might have one eye elsewhere. Hopefully the whole thing is just enough extra motivatation for the Eels to reverse the trend of the Storm always starting the season already in gear (Eels started in reverse last year).
I like this Daz, and gives me some better hope. Really don't want anything to take away from how well our club looks right now. Focus and team harmony comes across as sensational, the top to bottom inclusion and all on the same page is nearly like i've never seen before. The comradierie being talked about and leaked is second to none. The whole club has embraced cultural and generational change. Just so refreshing.
I just want Lomax , whom walked out on all this to just disappear. Well actually i probably want the reporters and the articles that are trying to portray Lomax as wanted and in the right to disappear.
Perth could give us an assurance that they would not target our players for 27...but we know what that assurance would be worth....but they will probably just offer us Ray Stone back.
Media reports today that in 'discovery', the Eels have found that Lomax's team claim to have initiated contact with three diffrerent teams, the Raiders, Storm and Perth, "as potential landing points".
Proszenko, SMH, 6 Feb 2026 (link is via Archive Today to avoid paywall): https://archive.md/qXbYY
The article is by Proszenko, who apparently is an absolutely terrible writer unable to keep clear who is speaking about whom. The headline of the article is "Factually Incorrect", with the Raiders denying expressing interest in Lomax. Fair enough. But Proszenko writes "the Raiders were incensed with suggestions they ever had any interest in acquiring Lomax“. Proszenko quotes Raiders CEO Don Furner that any contact with Lomax "is absolute bullshit", with Furner being further cited saying the Raiders are niether interested in outside backs nor have cap space for Lomax.
The key here is that it reads like the Raiders are rebuking the Eels. But that is just Proszenko unable to write clearly enough, keeping 'subjects in view' as writers say.
Let's rewrite Proszenko's article while keeping subjects in view:
The Raiders would be right to be unimpressed if Lomax's team suggested to the Eels that the Raiders were interested in Lomax, because the Raiders have expressed no interest in Lomax at all. Furthermore, the Eels are correct to be unimpressed that Lomax's team was shopping Lomax around to NRL clubs prior to the Eels granting such permission, as the Eels' termination contract with Lomax expressly forbid such NRL-team-shopping without their prior consent.
FU Lomax, whose team thought a restraint of trade was to poke the bear, without realizing the Parramatta Club is the bear.
Seems Raiders are used as pawns in the case of trade. If it is true that Raiders want him, i would take Mariota thank you.
One thing i will say is Melbourne were confident and keen to get Fa'asuamaleaui and Bai. They are getting neither. Hannay making a difference re-signing them.
To me, it reads like an attempt by Team Lomax to frame us as unreasonable and punitive: 'We offered Parra multiple options, but instead of engaging or compromising, they chose to litigate.'
It could backfire. I wonder if our counsel will call these ‘other options’, the Raiders and the Bears, both of whom have described the claim as “absolute bullshit”, to give evidence. That may delay proceedings, but it would put the veracity of Team Lomax’s claims under the microscope. It may simply be a case of Team Lomax sounding out clubs without anything materialising. A much ado, with no substance behind it that the court doesn't pay much attention to, but I don’t know. The public optics could be another matter. Some punters might accept it at face value.
It’s a fascinating case. For me, this battle is unlikely to turn on contract sanctity or special services. We should win that and it should be upheld. God help the NRL if it isn’t. The real battleground will be reasonableness. How reasonable is a three year exclusion from the NRL? Excluded from the Eels if they don’t want him, and elsewhere if no swap can be arranged. That’s where a court may feel pressure to provide some relief for Lomax, or to trim the three years. And that’s the real risk for us.
Fuck Yeah Mr Turner...he didn't have to come out in the media and loudly state that but he did...“That is absolute bullshit" is pretty unequivocal. "That's a lie" pins it right on their chest.
This is a righteous fight with an outcome that will affect most clubs.....Allies will appear