Zac Lomax will on Tuesday afternoon be named to return from a foot injury on the wing for Parramatta, but faces a fitness test on Wednesday that will have repercussions for both the Eels and NSW Blues.
Coach Jason Ryles confirmed Lomax was set to play his first game since breaking a bone in his foot against his former club, St George Illawarra, in round five. An already injured Lomax slotted the winning field-goal in golden point that afternoon.
“If he gets through Wednesday’s training, which we expect him to, he’ll play,” Ryles said.
“If there’s the slightest bit of [concern], we’ll put him on ice for the week.
“He was pushing hard to play against the Dolphins last weekend, but we took the decision out of his hands.
“The end of one of his bones fractured. It was in a weird spot.”
Zac Lomax will be named to return for Parramatta.Credit: Getty Images
Ryles said Lomax was not rushing back just to put himself back in the Origin shop window, and said: “We’ll be calculated with it. [If he’s not fit] there would be no point coming back a week earlier and re-injuring it, then being back at square one. Then you don’t play any Origin. If he’s back, and he gets picked, it’s a bonus.”
Lomax was brilliant for the Blues on the wing in last year’s series. He was a constant threat in the air, and also gave the Blues a goal-kicking option. Penrith’s Brian To’o and Manly’s Tom Trbojevic are also in the mix for wing spots.
Lomax will slot straight back onto the right wing for injured Eel Bailey Simonsson, who broke a bone in his foot against the Dolphins, and could be out for eight weeks.
Eels skipper Mitchell Moses will also look to nail his final Origin audition on Friday evening against the Knights in Newcastle.
Moses has been back a fortnight since returning from his foot injury, and is considered a five-eighth option alongside Nathan Cleary.
The 30-year-old started his career as a No.6 at the Wests Tigers, and spent a couple of seasons playing alongside Luke Brooks. Jarome Luai, a left-foot kicker who won four premierships with Cleary in the halves at Penrith, is the other five-eighth option.
Speaking on 100% Footy on Monday night, Moses said of the chance to be Cleary’s support act: “I feel pretty comfortable playing on the left side of the field, I’ve only pretty much played on the right side because I’m a right foot kicker, and I was predominantly the dominant kicker.
“I’ve never played with a half before that’s taken control, and I’ve been able to sit back and pick my opportunities. That excites me … I feel like that could work.”
In other team news, Alex Johnston (hamstring) is set to return on the left wing for South Sydney against the Wests Tigers on Sunday. Johnston has 196 career tries and is close to breaking Ken Irvine’s long-standing record of 212 tries.
Meanwhile, the Sydney Roosters have officially released Brandon Smith from his contract, with the international dummy-half’s move to South Sydney to be confirmed on Wednesday.
Souths need a hooker after regular No. 9 Peter Mamouzelos dislocated his elbow at Magic Round. Smith is still about six weeks away from returning from a ruptured ACL.
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