Lomax Case Threatens To Reveal Where The Bodies Are Buried
The Supreme Court case could be about to bring the NRL's dirty dealings to light
A steady stream of information has filtered out following Parramatta’s high profile subpoena of Zac Lomax and the Melbourne Storm in their Supreme Court Case.
So far we’ve read that Melbourne has asked the NRL to:
“Apply the blowtorch and get this done.”
Before suggesting that Lomax remaining in the NRL is “obviously a win for the game.”
What’s interesting here is that this quote has since been repeated by both ARLC chairman Peter V’landys and NRL CEO Andrew Abdo.
Lomax is a talented player. But he’s not bigger than the game. Just like those that have departed the code before him, they either return at some point, or they end up being no real loss.
The next junior is always ready to step into the breach and make a name for themselves.
Perhaps though, the more concerning aspect for the NRL, is the incremental revelation of how the sausage is made.
It would be naive to suggest that club bosses don’t contact NRL head office to try and swing a decision or get some favourable terms at some point.
But to outright request the NRL gets involved in a contract dispute would be rare. Not only that, we currently have no understanding of whether or not Andrew Abdo responded to Justin Rodski’s text message.
What is concerning for fans, is the apparent ease with which Rodski approached Abdo to force an opposing club into backing down.
A question every fan should be asking is:
“Has this happened before, and did the NRL actually influence a contract negotiation in favour of one club?”
Because on the surface of things, it appears this may not be the first time such a request has been made to head office.
However, it is the first time we have headed to court over such a matter, and the wonders of discovery are bringing it into the light.
This is where Melbourne’s insistence of breaking Lomax’s signed agreement with Parramatta could very well blow the NRL out of the water.
Abdo and V’landys are already on shaky ground with fans over this matter.
The pair have done little to reassure the wider NRL public they haven’t been involved in backroom dealing.
It also hasn’t helped that V’landys has appeared to back Lomax and the Storm. Not once has he spoken about honouring a contract.
In fact, he’s backed down from his own statement which said he’d ban any player who signed a deal with R360.
He’s used the convenient revelation that Lomax signed with R360 before he made his public proclamation as the get out of jail card there.
What is now tripping him, the NRL and Melbourne up, is the recent discovery that the Storm are footing the legal bill for Lomax.
Under the NRL’s own salary cap rules, a club providing money to a player as part of an inducement to break a contract and join their club is to be included in the salary cap.
An inclusion of Lomax’s court costs could apparently put the Storm into salary cap strife.
What a surprise that would be? A club that are serial cheaters caught cheating yet again.
Inconveniently from the NRL’s point of view is they have to make a decision on this matter if it is true.
Either they have to assign Lomax’s legal costs to the Storm, or turn a blind eye. Enforcing the rule leaves them with a tricky salary cap issue to manage, turning a blind eye brings yet more fan furore over Melbourne receiving special treatment.
The longer this case goes, the worse it could get for the Storm and NRL.
No doubt further text messages and emails are to surface throughout the case, entering the public record.
Any further suggestion of favourable treatment for the Storm or the NRL outright pressuring the Eels to drop their claim would make both Abdo’s and V’landys’ positions untenable.
Perhaps if the NRL had enforced their own contract rules, they wouldn’t be staring down the risk of their contracting bodies being uncovered.