‘This is my future’: Zac Lomax doesn’t rule out potential NRL return as code-hopper cops 23-minute grilling

Zac Lomax says he’ll “never rule out” a potential return to rugby league but declared “this is my future” after the former NRL star signed with rugby union after months of speculation around his future. Lomax signed a two-year deal with the Western Force on Monday and could make his Super Rugby debut for them on March 28 against the Chiefs given they play on Friday and have the bye next week. His decision to switch codes follows a hearing in the Supreme Court, where his move to Melbourne was scuppered by his former club the Eels. That was a result of him being granted a release last year to join rebel code R360, only for the start of that competition to be pushed back to 2028. Lomax had a clause in the release that prevented him from signing with a rival NRL club unless he had Parramatta’s permission, and that hasn’t changed, with the Origin winger unable to join another team until October 31, 2027 without the Eels’ written consent. He will now spend the next two years in rugby but will only be 28 when the contract expires, which led to him being asked if the door was open to return to the NRL. “For me, this is my future,” he said in Sydney. “But mate, I’ll never rule out what’s to be later on down the track. “I want to be the best rugby union player that I can. I’ve already said that I’m super grateful for everything that rugby league has given me. “Rugby league has given me the chance to be where we are today. I’m super thankful for that. To my previous clubs, I’m super grateful. But for me, it’s all about the future and I’ve been able to make a decision. “Obviously, there’s been a whole heap of speculation, but I am truly confident in my decision and one that I just can’t wait to rip into.” Lomax grew up playing rugby union and rugby league but ditched the 15-man code when he joined the Dragons. He spent seven seasons at the Red V before he was granted an early release to join the Eels, where he lasted one year into a four-year deal before he was again released from his contract. It’s why there’s scepticism from some circles that he could leave the Force for another opportunity before his new deal expires. “It’s obviously a decision that I’ve made. And I stick by it,” he said. “In regards to everything previously, there’s obviously been a narrative out there that’s sort of come about. But for me, I’m so stoked. “Everyone at the Force has obviously showed the faith in me and Rugby Australia. I can’t wait to get there. I’m super looking forward to it. My family is going to move with me. I can’t wait.” Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh was asked point blank if he’d sought assurances from Lomax and his management team about seeing out the deal. “We’re been really disciplined around what we’ve done in the organisation over the last period of time. Those conversations and what rugby offers as a proposition is very different to the environments that he’s been in,” he said. “So we’re really excited to have Zac with that drive, with that aspiration to ultimately wear a gold jersey at the World Cup. But between now and the World Cup, the opportunity that he’ll have on the global stage is exciting.” It’s been a tumultuous few weeks for Lomax, who has been in the headlines seemingly every day, with a man at the peak of his rugby league powers now suddenly having to learn a new sport a week after his hopes of joining the Storm were dashed. “There’s obviously been a whole heap of scenarios that have come up,” he said. “It definitely hasn’t been ideal, but at the same time to be able to make a decision and move on from it is positive. That’s my focus, just how I’ve been able to make a decision now and I want to just be able to move on from it. “I can’t wait to get over to Perth and become the best rugby union player that I possibly can. I know I’ve got a lot to learn and that’s something that truly excites me, the growth in the rugby union player that I can potentially become.” The release clause is ultimately what ended his NRL career and what gave the Eels the power and the right to block any potential move. But Lomax has no regrets about agreeing to that part of his release. “Not at all,” he said. “I mean, at the end of the day, it’s me that’s made the decisions and it’s me that has the consequences. No one else, so at the end of the day, it’s my decisions and they’re the ones that I’ve made. “And it’s one that I stick by. For me, it was initially to go and play rugby union, so I’ve been in constant communication with the team and here we are.” Lomax will likely play on the wing or at fullback for the Force as he pushes his claims to earn a Wallabies spot at next year’s home World Cup alongside fellow converts Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and possibly Angus Crichton and Mark Nawaqanitawase. If Lomax does return to rugby league, he’ll have to mend some bridges with angry officials who took exception to a line from his press release where he said he wanted to represent the Wallabies on a “truly international stage”. The former Kangaroo insists that wasn’t a shot at rugby league. “Comments can be taken many different ways,” he said. “But for me, the reality is that rugby is a truly global sport. It’s played in more than 100 different countries. From my point of view, that’s something that absolutely attracts me as a player that hasn’t been a part of rugby and part of the international stages. “The travel that they do, the world, and what they get to see is absolutely appealing. “Everyone that I speak to in regards to rugby and playing for the Wallabies and travelling all around the world, that’s the first thing that makes their eyes light up in regards to what appeals so much to them. “It’s the world that they see, the fans that they play in front of, and what the game actually means to the rest of the world globally.”