Eels legend Kenny weighs in on Lomax controversy

Brett Kenny, former Eels five-eighth and club legend with 265 games, has spoken exclusively to WWOS about the Zac Lomax drama.

“No. None,” Kenny answered when asked if he had sympathy for Lomax after the final decision.

“I think he's had all the chances in the world to look into that situation. Zac Lomax probably should have looked into it a bit better or got whoever his management or whatever to look into it a lot more.

"Then to turn around and decide, well, I wanna go and play for Melbourne. Why would you even contemplate going to play for another club after you agreed to sign?

"It just makes you wonder, but I just think in the end, this is his own undoing. He brought it upon himself.”

Kenny praised the Eels for sticking to their principles.

“They stood for what they wanted to say. They said you've got to get our permission if you wanna play for anyone else. Well, he signed that as well. He's happy to do that. They had to stick up for what they had there. It's good to see them doing that.”

He also questioned the motivations behind Lomax's move.

“I just wonder, is he wanting to go to Melbourne because he thinks he's got more chance to win a premiership. I wouldn't imagine he (V'landys) would be too (happy).”

Kenny reflected on the practical side of the sport.

“You can understand with Lomax, you've only got a short lifespan in the game of rugby league and obviously rugby union. So if you can make a heap of money on it and set yourself up for life, well, that's what you should do," Kenny said.

"The thing that got me was the fact that it fell apart. You had Peter V'landys saying in his view he didn't think there was enough there for them to be able to continue and then start the competition, and I thought, well, if he was saying that, obviously he knows a bit more about it than what Zac Lomax would.”

Kenny addressed the controversy around the potential 10-year ban.

“But the other problem is he's turned around and said, you know, there'll be a 10-year ban, and now that it hasn't happened, he's saying, well, we want him back in the game,” he shared.

And finally, he dismissed any suggestion that past conflicts had influenced the saga.

“That stuff happened a long time ago. There's new management now. I just think they've done the right thing, they're sticking by the rules and saying this is what he signed and he's not allowed to do that, and we're doing what's legally right. I think that's the way they're looking at it," Kenny finished.