St George Illawarra have welcomed the “competitive fire” shown by Zac Lomax and Junior Amone who had to be separated during a heated training exchange.
Grainy footage of the Dragons players rushing in to pull the pair apart during an open session in Mollymook on Wednesday surfaced online around the same time the team were returning to Wollongong on Friday.
The Dragons’ hierarchy were certainly not disappointed by what they witnessed. Club officials claimed it was a case of Lomax not appreciating a decent hit from Amone.
“I was there, I watched the session, and I’d put it down to nothing more than the boys showing some competitive fire, which is what you want to see from the boys, if I’m being honest,” Dragons chief executive Ryan Webb told the Herald.
“It bubbled over, two young guys got a bit over-zealous, everyone separated them, they kept training for another half hour and everyone was mates afterwards.”
When pressed if the melee was a poor look for the club already struggling with unwanted headlines, including the mass no-shows at the post-season awards night, as well as chairman Craig Young standing down, Webb said it was not the case.
Zac Lomax and Junior Amone were involved in a scuffle at Dragons training and had to be separated.Credit:Getty
“I actually can’t recall seeing this place so happy – it’s the complete opposite to being an unhappy camp,” Webb said.
South Sydney made the news in March when Latrell Mitchell and Jacob Host squared up to each other after getting a little too physical in the middle of Redfern Oval. Coach Jason Demetriou knew at the time the blink-and-you-miss-it run-in only created headlines because of the “Latrell narrative”.
Host sure had a laugh afterwards when he revealed a few days later: “You missed the real fight in the sheds afterwards, there was round two. We can all agree I’m now undefeated in my fight career. It’s the most attention I’ve ever had. Even my dad rang me after seeing something on Instagram and said, ‘Mate, what have you done now?’”
The Dragons are desperate for a big season after missing the finals for the past three years, while coach Anthony Griffin is hopeful of a fast start to the year as his future continues to be debated.
Jack Bird has set some lofty personal goals for 2023.
Jack Bird spoke to the Herald before the Lomax-Amone squabble became public knowledge, and said plenty of the younger boys were not afraid to challenge the older brigade.
“We’re all pretty fit and strong, the younger fellas are pushing the older fellas, and as long as we’re improving as a team, it will help us go a long way next season,” Bird said.
Meanwhile, Bird said after enjoying two straight years without any major injuries, his personal goals had shifted from staying healthy to hopefully returning to the NSW Origin side after a five-year exile.
Bird has finally settled on a permanent position at lock forward. He knows the one spot the Blues have an abundance of depth is the No.13 jersey, pitting him against Isaah Yeo, Cameron Murray, Jake Trbojevic and even Dale Finucane.
“The last two years I’ve focused on getting through the season without injury, that’s happened, now I want to play Origin again,” Bird said.
“There are a lot of good players there, and it will be hard to do, but I’m heading into next season full of confidence, and I feel like I can play there again if I play my best football.
“I know there’s Cam Murray there, Isaah Yeo, but I’ve also played different positions, and I’d be happy to play as a utility [at that level].
“I’m not expecting to get a call-up, but as long as I can get a look-in or even a mention, that’s a massive confidence boost for myself.”
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