Eels recruit Zac Lomax has a huge opportunity to prove to his new club why they’ve signed him on a four-year deal after being shifted to the centres.
Cameron Ciraldo has made a brutal call regarding his backline, axing one recruit for another in the No.1 jersey.
Elsewhere, Sam Walker has been named in the reserves with Connor Watson retaining his spot in the halves… but the truth behind that call has been revealed.
Read below for the big talking points out of this week’s team lists release!
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LOMAX’S BIG EELS AUDITION
Zac Lomax has been named in the centres for Round 7, replacing Jack Bird who has been sidelined due to concussion.
And it couldn’t come at a better time for the Eels who announced they’d got their man on Tuesday, signing him on from 2025 and beyond.
Lomax has taken a significant pay cut to join the Parramatta club, snubbing the $850k he was set to earnt next season for a figure in the $600,000 to $700,000 region.
The Eels handed him a contract until the end of 2028, solving a backline depth problem that has plagued the club over the last two seasons.
Lomax now has a chance to show the Eels, even if it’s only for a week, what he can do in the centres while in his purple patch of form.
Despite being disgruntled after being switched to the wing, the Dragons star has been arguably their best player this season.
His skills under the highball have been among the NRL’s best and he’s been able to move freely across, the park to pop up and score and assist tries.
He’s adamant he’s a centre, but even teammate Ben Hunt couldn’t deny he’s been playing his best football on the wing.
Not only is this a chance for personal vindication, Lomax also has a chance to justify his new salary at his fresh club.
Lomax’s new deal is among the highest centre earners in the NRL, joining players like Joey Manu, Izack Tago, Stephen Crichton and Kotoni Staggs.
Eels coach Brad Arthur was excited to acquire a player of Lomax’s ability when speaking on NRL360 on Monday night.
“Zac’s athletic, he’s fast, he’s a bit different to what we got in the outside backs,” he said.
“He’s a kick target, he’s aggressive, he competes hard. What side of the field, we don’t know, we’ll worry about that next year.
“Playing in the centres, he can be nice and strong out of the backfield for us but I think he’s got a good ability to set people up to the outside of him as well as score tries to himself.”
Now Arthur, who has been keeping tabs on Lomax’s performances, will get his latest glimpse of what Lomax is able to do one in from the sideline.
Lomax to return to centre for Dragons | 00:28
CIRALDO MAKES TOUGH FULLBACK CALL
Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo has been forced into making a tough decision on his fullback for this week’s clash with the Knights.
Blake Taaffe was the first-choice No.1 this season, until Connor Tracey showed what he can offer there in last week’s narrow loss to the Storm.
Tracey, who notched up a linebreak assist, three tackle busts and 126 metres last week, was tough, reliable and his workrate had similarities to that of Dylan Edwards. And that was with a calf niggle, which he picked up in Round 5.
But with Blake Taaffe due to return from a concussion this week, there was a lot of interesting Ciraldo’s team selection.
Tracey has done enough though to earn another chance with the 27-year-old retaining the No.1 jersey and Taaffe instead being named on the bench.
It’s a tough situation for Taaffe given Ciraldo said the Good Friday game was his best in a Dogs jumper until he was knocked out.
But what the Bulldogs’ backline produced last week against a genuine premiership heavyweight can’t be ignored.
Stephen Crichton is one of the best centres in the game, while Jacob Kiraz’s tough carries make him better-suited to the wing and Bronson Xerri’s speed off the mark has to keep him in the 17.
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ROBBO’S SHOCK WALKER DECISION EXPLAINED
It was a bit of a shock to see Sam Walker named in the Roosters’ reserves with Connor Watson retaining his spot in the halves.
And going off the club’s initial team announcement it would’ve been easy to assume Watson was simply picked ahead of him.
“Sam Walker has been named in the no.22 jersey on standby, with the halves pairing of Connor Watson and Luke Keary retained,” the official announcement read at 4pm on Tuesday before being updated.
However, News Corp journalist Dave Riccio revealed on NRL 360, that Walker was simply being held back another week after suffering a concussion in Round 5, which sidelined hin last week.
“He’s still suffering some delayed concussion symptoms… and they’re just taking a softly-softly approach with him,” Riccio said.
“They named him in the jumper number 22, it’s not a demotion or anything in that regard.
“They’re nearly running out of players to pick. They’ve got to pick 22 players every Tuesday and he had to be named due to the numbers. They’re very confidend he’ll be back next week.”
The Roosters also later updated the official team announcement on their website to say Walker “continues to progress through the club’s return to play protocols.”
It’s not the end of the world for the team given Watson was strong in the No.6 against the Knights.
Watson’s focus was to run the ball and it complemented Luke Keary, who was able to steer the Roosters around the park as a No.7.
Walker will return to the side for the Roosters’ Anzac Day clash with the Dragons.
Slater open to Walsh-Ponga Origin duo | 00:45
SHARKS UNLEASH BOOM ROOKIE
Sharks fans have been itching to see local junior Sam Stonestreet in the NRL and this weekend they’ll finally get to with the 21-year-old being named on the wing to replace the suspended Sione Katoa.
Stonestreet, who stands at 193cm tall, is black, white and blue through and through. He played his junior footy for De La Salle Caringbah and has been developed in the Sharks’ system, playing in both their Harold Matthews and SG Ball teams.
He was the Sharks’ Junior Representative Player of the Year in 2021 and went on to make his New South Wales Cup debut the following season.
Stonestreet has notched up a total of 19 tries in 26 Cup games. This season alone he has three tries and 14 tackle busts in five appearances and is averaging 134 metres per game.
Coach Craig Fitzgibbon had the option of playing Mawene Hiroti, who has played 17 of his NRL games on the wing, or even shifting Kayal Iro out to the wing and bringing Siosifa Talakai back into the centres.
But instead he’s chosen to reward Stonestreet for his blistering form in a clear sign of just how highly the club thinks of him.
Stonestreet will become Shark #560 when he runs out at PointsBet Stadium to face the Cowboys. And he’ll also join the NRL rookie class of 2024, which includes the likes of Jye Gray, Chevy Stewart and Bailey Hayward – who debuted last week – as well as Lachlan Galvin, Blaize Talagi, Ben Te Kura and Jesse Marschke.
And speaking of those rookies, Hayward and Stewart have retained their spots for Round 7, while Gray’s Rabbitohs have the bye. Talagi will get another shot after being dropped last week, with the young gun being named on the bench for the Eels and Galvin is back in the halves for the Tigers after serving his suspension.
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