There's some irony in the fact Zac Lomax is playing the way he is at a time Parramatta are trying to argue he's actually worth less than the Dragons are paying him.
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Lomax starred in the opening half of the Dragons 24-12 win over the Tigers on Sunday, a fortnight after he was granted a release from the final two years of his deal with the club.
The Eels loom as his next destination with a four-year deal for Lomax to shift west - one that will reportedly see him take a pay cut in the vicinity 300k over the next two years - expected to be formalised this week.
It leaves the Eels needing to make the case that Lomax shouldn't go on their cap for the full $1.6 million he was due to earn in Wollongong over 2025-26.
In reality, the NRL is unlikely to stand in the way of the cut-price deal, but in the form Lomax is in the Eels look to be grabbing a bargain.
The 24-year-old scored the opening try and gave Jahream Bula nightmares as he twice plucked bombs out of the Tigers fullback's arms in the opening stanza.
The second instance resulted in a try to Kyle Flanagan four minutes before halftime, and the first six minutes earlier should have done the same had Mikaele Ravalawa made a better fist of Lomax's offload.
His impact on the clash belied numbers more modest than what he's produced so far this season, but the wantaway star made his biggest impact while the game was live.
"He was really good," coach Shane Flanagan said post-game.
"I never doubted Zac's ability, that's for sure. It's his decision to want to leave the club, not ours.
"That's life, players leave clubs, players come to clubs. We've got him this year and we'll make the most of it.
"He's doing an outstanding job on the wing, isn't he? He's an athlete and a great player, and he's doing a good job for us."
Bird concussion adds intrigue to Lomax situation
The plot around Lomax could thicken this week, with a shift back to his preferred right centre position likely after Jack Bird left the field with category one HIA.
Bird left the paddock in the 35th minute when called from the field by the independent doctor who deemed Bird's fall in pursuit of a runaway Justin Olam a category one head knock.
The Dragons staff questioned the call, suggesting Bird should undergo an HIA with a view to returning, but the category one stood.
"Jack's fine in the dressing room. There's absolutely nothing wrong with him," Flanagan said.
"He's walking about talking about what he's having for dinner, I told him he's not having McDonald's. He's fine in the dressing room.
"I didn't actually see the incident when it happened and then obviously we've got the HIA call from the independent doctor and our doctor challenged the category one, but he failed his HIA."
Under concussion protocols it should see Bird subjected to the mandatory 11-day stand-down post-concussion.
It would make Lomax shifting to right centre for Friday's clash with the Warriors in Wollongong, with Christian Tuipulotu debuting for the club on the wing, an option for Flanagan.
The Dragons lined up that way at training through the week as Bird nursed a knee injury, with Ravalawa shifting to the right outside Lomax.
"There'll be a lot of speculation this week, so I'll help you sell newspapers," Flanagan said.
"I'll just assess it during the week. We've got some definite options.
"I've always had a theory, don't weaken one [position] to strengthen another. We'll just see how we go."
It was unfortunate for Bird, who had started to look comfortable in the right-centre slot, throwing the final pass for Lomax's opening try.
He also turned up gold with a try of his own from an ugly Tom Eisenhuth offload that hit the deck 20 metres out from the Tigers line before being shovelled on by Hunt.
Crucial two points as tough month looms
The Dragons have been consistently inconsistent, Sunday's win continuing their see-sawing fortunes this season.
They move to 3-3 on the back of the victory, but will head back to Wollongong again looking for consecutive wins for the first time under Flanagan.
A loss to the Tigers would have been a major blow given the tough month they're headed into.
The high-flying Warriors make the journey to WIN Stadium on Friday ahead of the traditional Anzac Day clash with the Roosters six days later, with a local derby against the Sharks to follow.
It made Sunday's two points valuable, though Flanagan was non-plussed at the two defensive lapses that resulted in tries.
Stefano Utoikamanu strolled across one off the ruck through flimsy on-line defence from Eisenhuth and Hame Sele 14 minutes in, Asu Kepaoa strolled through Bird's absence on the Dragons right edge for the hosts' only other points 10 minutes from time.
It left the second half tally at a try apiece, with Jaydn Su'A's weaving solo effort for his side's fourth try virtually sealing the result with 18 minutes left.
"We just need to be more consistent right across the team and start putting some good 40 minutes together and then we've got a challenge of doing it in the second half," Flanagan said.
"I thought there were some good signs today, especially defensively. They had what we call a soft try, their first try just went straight through on the lead.
"Then we had Tom Eisenhuth defending in the centres because of Jack Bird's HIA. It was probably more of a player out of position than a defensive error, so we'll cop that and move on.
"I believe there's a football team in that dressing room. I believe it, I've got to convince them sometimes that there's a decent footy team, but that we're showing glimpses that we can match it with the better teams and play some good football."