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Incoming St George Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan says Zac Lomax will be given a chance to become the team’s long-term fullback in what shapes as his first big call in the job.
Lomax has long been considered one of the game’s most promising centres, but hasn’t yet made the transition to the representative level. The 23-year-old has filled in capably on the few occasions he has played at fullback, but has not made the No.1 jersey his own.
That will change when Flanagan arrives at the Red V. Lomax will be pitted against Tyrell Sloan, whose 36-game career has been marked by flashes of brilliance and inconsistency in equal measure.
The future of Cody Ramsey, who was poised to start the season as fullback, but didn’t play due to an inflammatory bowel condition, remains unclear.
There have been calls for Lomax, as one of the club’s highest-paid players, to shift into a spine position, and he will soon get his chance at fullback.
“He’s definitely going to get some reps there in the off-season,” Flanagan said. “It’s not a bad thing for him to be able to play both sides of the field, either way. He’s done it at left centre and right centre.
Zac Lomax could become the Dragons’ permanent No.1.Credit: Getty
“As a fullback, there’s a lot of defensive qualities you need to have and he’s definitely big and strong enough and fit enough; he can handle the workload.
“It’s just the subtleties of the fullback play, [playing] out the back, the three-on-twos and those sorts of things that we will work on with him during the off-season.”
Lomax’s future was clouded when he was dropped by former coach Anthony Griffin this year for the first time in his career. There was also speculation Flanagan may allow him permission to explore other options, but the premiership-winning mentor quickly put those rumours to rest.
“I’ve seen him play, he is talented,” Flanagan said. “He can do a lot of things, but he just hasn’t played that position for a long period of time.
Incoming Dragons coach Shane Flanagan.Credit: Getty
“We’ll give him some reps and see how he adjusts to it.”
Flanagan is finishing up his official duties at Manly, where he has been an assistant to Anthony Seibold. Once the end-of-season reviews have been completed on the northern beaches, he will turn his full focus to the Dragons. It will be a huge task for a club that finished second last this season and has churned through three coaches in five years.
It appears increasingly likely that Flanagan’s son, off-contract Bulldogs half-hooker Kyle, will join him at the joint-venture outfit. An official announcement could come as soon as this week. Another change Flanagan is considering is holding at least one training session a week at Kogarah, although the majority of the preparation will remain in Wollongong. The club is in the process of moving into a new $50 million centre of excellence on the University of Wollongong campus.
Despite fielding interest from Wests Tigers, Ryan Carr – who was the caretaker following Anthony Griffin’s departure – will remain at the Dragons. Incoming Tigers coach Benji Marshall is considering other options, which include Craig Sandercock. The former Hull Kingston Rovers head coach – who is overseeing preparations for an incoming Bulldogs NRLW side – has previously been an assistant at the Tigers, as well as the Knights and Sharks men’s teams.
On Tuesday night Blake Lawrie was named the 2023 recipient of the Dragons medal as the club’s player of the year. Unlike the last year’s presentation night – at which only three NRL players were present – almost every player of the top squad, as well as the lower grade sides, were in attendance.
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