‘It’s all about the C-word’: Expert reveals how Storm can still land Zac Lomax for 202
Former Wests Tigers chairman and leading workplace lawyer Lee Hagipantelis has shed light on the ways Melbourne Storm may yet be able to sign released Parramatta and NSW star Zac Lomax for the 2026 NRL season, despite the Eels having rejected Melbourne’s initial request.
Speaking on SEN radio, Hagipantelis suggested that in his experience the courts would likely be reluctant to overrule the terms of Lomax’s conditional release to leave Parramatta at the end of the 2025 season, despite Lomax’s circumstances having now changed with the two-year delay of the rebel R360 competition.
“The release between Parramatta and the player (Lomax) is a contract which was negotiated in good faith, and Zac entered into that contract with eyes wide open,” Hagipantelis said.
“So the question is now, can he get out of that contract and if so, how?”
Hagipantelis said Lomax may consider seeking to have the contract voided as an unlawful restraint of trade, however given Parramatta is a direct NRL competitor of the Melbourne Storm, he suggested that would be difficult to prove.
“The courts are very cautious about applying those kinds of principles to allow a player to revoke a contract just because they’ve made a bad deal and circumstances have changed,” he said.
“I think Zac is up against it and the only way it’s going to be done in my view is by a negotiated settlement between him, Melbourne Storm and Parramatta.”
‘What’s in it for Parramatta?’
Discussing the most likely outcome heading towards the 2026 season, Hagipantelis said the situation will ultimately come down to one key factor.
“It’s all about the C-word—compensation, what’s in it for Parramatta?” he said.
“Giving up a player, a cash settlement from Melbourne or Zac, or both—it’s got to be something for Parramatta to think they’ve achieved a desirable outcome.
“That’s where it’s going to end I suspect. I don’t think it’s going to see the inside of a courtroom.”
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