[ad_1]
Ben Hunt has revealed Zac Lomax remains to be hoping to go away St George Illawarra regardless of the membership shifting to bar the winger from negotiating with NRL rivals.
Hunt, who had his personal launch request blocked final season, praised Lomax for persevering via the frustration of his positional swap to cement himself because the membership’s finest participant via two rounds.
St George Illawarra Dragons
2024 outcomes
Rd 1: Titans 4 Dragons 28 (Robina)Rd 2: Dolphins 38 Dragons 0 (Redcliffe)
New coach Shane Flanagan moved Lomax to proper wing within the preseason to permit Jack Hen to return to the centres reverse Moses Suli.
The extremely touted Lomax, primarily a centre via 95 first-grade video games, has been dissatisfied by the transfer to the wing and was linked with a switch to Parramatta amid the deadlock.
However the Dragons made it clear no launch can be entertained for Lomax, who’s on a big-money contract on the three way partnership via to 2026.
Hunt discovered himself in an identical state of affairs final season when he hoped to safe a launch from the ultimate two-and-a-half years of his contract after the Dragons sacked coach and shut confidant Anthony Griffin.
ABC Sport will probably be reside running a blog each spherical of the AFL and NRL seasons in 2024.
The Saints finally talked their captain down, however he has been fast to verify in on Lomax.
“Zac and I, we discuss a bit,” Hunt stated.
“I am conscious that he does need to go away however he isn’t exhibiting that he is sad and he looks as if he is having fun with himself.
“Every time he desires recommendation, he is aware of that I am all the time completely happy to offer it. He is very open, Zac, and he’ll all the time ask for one thing if he wants it.”
Hunt was fast to level out that Lomax had been in effective contact on the precise wing for the Dragons via the opening two weekends of the season.
He ran for a game-high 265 metres within the 28-4 win over Gold Coast, scoring a attempt, and was once more his facet’s high metre-eater within the hefty 38-0 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday.
“He is been our greatest participant the final two weeks, to be sincere,” Hunt stated.
“I am unable to fault both of his video games. He positively wasn’t the explanation we misplaced (towards the Dolphins).
“Whether or not he likes the place or not, he is doing a bloody good job of it.”
Hunt even advised the brand new place could possibly be Lomax’s probability to lastly make good on his potential as a NSW State of Origin prospect.
Lomax has lengthy been rated a future Origin participant with new Blues coach Michael Maguire reportedly contacting him this week.
“He is positively the kind of participant that I reckon ‘Madge’ would love,” Hunt stated.
“Madge is absolutely well-known for his arduous work and (liking) gamers that all the time give 100 per cent effort, and that is what Zac is.
“It might be foolish if Madge wasn’t taking a look at him.”
Hunt admitted the most recent loss to the Dolphins had raised outdated considerations concerning the course by which the Dragons are heading.
However the 33-year-old, who pushed for a mid-season transfer residence to Queensland final 12 months, was agency on staying put because the membership navigated the begin to Flanagan’s tenure.
“(Doubts) all the time pop up at the back of your head each time you may have a loss, it doesn’t matter what it is like,” he stated.
“It all the time tries to creep in. However I am staying optimistic.
“I am right here on the Dragons. I’ve put my head down within the pre-season, I’ve tried to remain arduous and get us again on monitor.
“I felt like we had been doing that, we had a giant hiccup on the weekend however my focus is on getting us again into the finals.”
AAP
Sports activities content material to make you suppose… or enable you to not. A publication delivered every Friday.
[ad_2]
Source link
