{"id":381616,"date":"2024-04-03T21:45:03","date_gmt":"2024-04-03T21:45:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=381616"},"modified":"2024-04-03T22:02:54","modified_gmt":"2024-04-03T22:02:54","slug":"joey-says-eels-teen-holds-key-to-swift-lomax-exit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=381616","title":{"rendered":"Joey says Eels teen holds key to swift Lomax exit"},"content":{"rendered":"

A\ufeffndrew Johns<\/a> has urged St George Illawarra<\/a> to pursue the signature of a gun Parramatta<\/a> junior using the money freed up by Zac Lomax<\/a>'s departure.<\/p>\n

The Dragons this week announced Lomax will be released at the end of this year<\/a>, freeing up $800,000 on their salary cap for 2025 and again for 2026.<\/p>\n

While they've been linked to the likes of Storm behemoth Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Panthers winger Sunia Turuva<\/a>, Johns thinks the Red V should go down an entirely different path.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Top international jockey dies after Canberra fall\ufeff<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Cornes 'dying inside' in boxing fight against good mate<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\ufeffREAD MORE: \ufeff<\/strong>Swans star back in AFL mix after ex-girlfriend claims<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

He says the Dragons should chase Eels youngster Ethan Sanders.<\/p>\n

Sanders, 18, is considered one of the game's most promising young halfbacks, but he's battling to get a look-in at Parramatta.<\/p>\n

\"Ethan<\/p>\n

Even after a long-term injury to veteran No.7 Mitchell Moses last week, Eels coach Brad Arthur decided to put Blaize Talagi into the halves after making his debut at centre a week earlier.<\/p>\n

\ufeffDragons halfback Ben Hunt is 34 years old, while his partner Kyle Flanagan has struggled to make his mark in the NRL over seven seasons to date.<\/p>\n

"Ben Hunt is coming to the end… they've got to buy a half or a five-eighth," Johns told Wide World of Sports' Freddy and the Eighth<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Watch the 2024 NRL premiership live and free on Nine and<\/strong><\/em> 9Now<\/strong><\/em><\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

"Go and find the best young half or five-eighth in the country, or go to England, go to New Zealand, buy the best 18-year-old.<\/p>\n

"Young bloke at Parramatta, Ethan Sanders, he would be the bloke I'd be going after.<\/p>\n

"I've been watching lower grades closely the last couple of years – he is the next one. He's the next one that should be given an opportunity.<\/p>\n

\"Freddy's<\/p>\n

"He's the next one who is ready to go.\ufeff"<\/p>\n

According to a Sydney Morning Herald report in February<\/a>, Canberra has been trying to lure Sanders to the nation's capital.<\/p>\n

He is off contract with the Eels this year and his future is very much up in the air, given his pathway at the club is currently blocked.<\/p>\n

\ufeffBut due to the NRL's contract rules around young players, Sanders is unable to negotiate with rival clubs until after round six this season.<\/p>\n

If the Eels consider Sanders surplus to requirements, the Dragons could conceivably start negotiating with him in a fortnight's time.<\/p>\n

Intriguingly, Lomax has also been trying to gain a release from the Red V so he can join Parramatta this season, but it has so far been denied.<\/p>\n

\"Zac<\/p>\n

Lomax, 24, is one of St George Illawarra's most talented players but has been disgruntled since new coach Shane Flanagan moved him to the wing this year.<\/p>\n

The Eels are understood to be keen to play Lomax in his preferred centre position.<\/p>\n

League legend Brad Fittler, though, can't understand why Lomax would want to play in the three-quarters rather than on a wing.<\/p>\n

"Getting told what to do is so much easier. Get out there Zac, get on the wing, stop thinking and play. He's going great," Fittler told Freddy and the Eighth<\/em>.<\/p>\n

"I don't know why he would want to change – he gets more ball now than he ever has, he gets more chance to play footy… why would you want to change?<\/p>\n

"Why would you be a centre? A centre in today's game is awful.\ufeff"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A\ufeffndrew Johns has urged St George Illawarra to pursue the signature of a gun Parramatta junior using the money freed up by Zac Lomax's departure. […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":381618,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381616"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=381616"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381616\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":381621,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381616\/revisions\/381621"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/381618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=381616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=381616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=381616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}