A court order confirmed on Tuesday morning prohibits Zac Lomax from entering into a contract, working, training, or playing with any NRL club until 31 October 2027 without the Eels' written consent.
Crucially, Parramatta haven't slammed the door and are willing to work with Lomax and his agent to find an NRL club that wants to sign him in exchange for "appropriate value" for their football program.
Parramatta set a dangerously high standard for letting Lomax go to another club, with Melbourne proposing multiple deals, including two final proposals.
One being a $750,000 transfer fee to bring Lomax to the club, and the second seeing the Storm agreeing to sign Ryan Matterson, paying out the remainder of his $416,000 contract and $300,000 in cash.
Matterson was set to be contracted this year with 2027 being an option controlled by the team if he was to head to the Storm.
The Eels forward rejected the move, as he wanted the second year of his deal with Melbourne guaranteed instead of an option per all reports.
There are two tools a club can use to compensate another in a swap or transfer:
Cash sits entirely off the salary cap.
It goes directly into the receiving club's football department budget: things like for recruitment, retention, staff etc.
It frees equivalent space on the receiving club's book without the acquiring club necessarily paying wages to any specific player.
Player swaps are the third option, and the most complex.
Any play offered a compensation must be a genuine football asset, not a salary dump the acquiring club is trying to offload.
Both the NRL and the receiving club can reject a player swap on those ground.
The player himself must agree to the move, and no player can be traded without their consent under the standard NRL player contract.
With these tools in hand, here are five clubs that could realistically put together a package Parramatta could accept.
5. New Zealand Warriors: Mitch Barnett
The Warriors are looking for a quality player in exchange for Barnett, and the Eels have arguably the best player for said move.
For the Warriors, it would ensure a quality winger in the backline and going younger in a team that is trying to compete for a spot in the finals consistently.
The Eels are looking for a quality experienced forward and winning the Barnett sweepstakes would be huge for the club.
Jason Ryles has also spoke postively about Mitchell Barnett and expressed interest in bringing him to the club.
Barnett is a Origin and Australian representative caliber player who would help the Eels boost their chances to be back in the finals consistently and potentially a team that could sneak into the top four.
Both teams want high quality players that take room in the salary cap, they want to spend money from their salary cap and not get cash considerations for their football department budget.
This would be a big-time move for both clubs.
Zac Lomax would most likely say no for a move to New Zealand.
However, considering the methods in which the clubs have handled their star players deciding to leave and wanting to benefit from getting something in return could be a conversation for both clubs to have together about a possible swap.
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IDK if it’s just me be Selwyn at Parra would be limbs
Burto will NOT go to Parra man.
You missed some guys that would make even more sense. Brimson, Brooks, Leniu