Fans of the St George Illawarra Dragons were treated to more than regular training drills during an open pre-season training session in Mollymook on the NSW South Coast.
Star centre Zac Lomax and young half Talatau Amone had to be separated during a heated confrontation after Lomax took exception to a ‘big hit', per the Red V Podcast, who shared the footage online.
The confrontation soon involved the entire playing group, who swarmed en masse to separate the two.
Zac Lomax and Junior Amone had to be separated after Zac took exception to a big hit on the Dragons 3 day camp at Mollymook. Altercations like this are normal and a good sign that players are digging deep into their pre season training! pic.twitter.com/shTwvZLk5h
— Red V Podcast (@RedVPodcast1) December 16, 2022
Though it's not an ideal look for an open training session in front of fans hoping for more from their team after a disappointing recent run of form, there were no serious repercussions reported and some are interpreting the melee as a sign that the team is showing a passion they haven't displayed for a few years.
But with pre-season injuries back in the spotlight following untimely issues for Tom Trbojevic, Brenko Lee and Kobe Hetherington, it's understandable that players may have different expectations about defensive intensity required during drills.
After dealing with injury through 2021, Lomax was the only Dragons player to appear in every game of the 2022 season, setting a new personal best for appearances in a season.
Meanwhile, Amone extended with the club in the middle of 2022 and has recently reaffirmed his commitment to the club following interest from competitors amid rumours he was growing frustrated waiting behind Ben Hunt.
The Dragons have the bye in the opening Round of the 2023 season, but will kick off their campaign when they host the Titans at Kogarah in Round 2.
The club has not commented on the matter.
