Dragons star Zac Lomax has reflected on a big learning moment in his career following an incident with former teammate Tyson Frizell which was labelled “absolute rubbish” by Fox League’s Andrew Voss.
The 23-year-old jumped on the back of the Newcastle backrower while celebrating a try during his side’s 21-6 win over the Knights in Round 6.
Lomax has reflected on that moment and if he had his time again, he wouldn’t have pulled one of his “good mates” into the controversial try celebration.
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“Mate, Frizell is one of my good mates and I debuted beside him, I had been locker buddies with him since I first came into grade,” Lomax told Foxsports.com.au.
“I love Frizz (Frizell) and I respect him so highly, I think what he has done in the game, I love him and he is a really good family man as well.
“I have spoken about it a million times now… but as I said, you live and you learn.
“It wasn’t coming from any ill intent, it is just the way you learn and the way that it was perceived, you look at it and you just don’t do it again.
“But that’s footy mate.”
The Dragons haven’t played finals football since 2018 and have consistently come under fire for sub-par performances.
Coach Anthony Griffin has also faced scrutiny after failing to lead the Red V into the top eight in his two years in charge.
The 56-year-old’s contract also expires at the end of 2023 and Lomax made it clear where the club belongs — playing finals football.
“I know the history of the club, it’s really rich, there’s a lot that goes behind it, I am now one of the senior players and I want nothing more than the team to be back where it belongs,”
“(Finals football) is exactly where it needs to be… it is about competing all the time and being good people off the field.
“There’s not a session we come to training and we aren’t trying to be not just better footy players, but better individuals.
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“There’s obviously been a few mishaps throughout the media, that’s life, things happen, we learn from it and move on and as men we look at it, stare it in the face and become better people.”
Lomax himself earned a call-up to the Blues extended squad in 2020 but is yet to make his debut for Brad Fittler’s NSW Blues.
Fittler has long been a fan of the Temora native, and Lomax has plans to break back into the squad and beat out the likes of Stephen Crichton, Campbell Graham and Kotoni Staggs for a spot in the squad.
“That’s always the plan, you always want to play representative footy, but I just want to do the basics the best that I can,” Lomax said.
“I want to be the best player at the basics, I want to be able to do them regularly and that just comes from being the best trainer as well.
“I think it is just having a clear focus, being in front of me and I probably was thinking a bit too much last year.
“Probably just trying to overplay a little bit, I have sort of stripped it back, I know what I need to do this year and I have a clearer focus in regards to what I need to do for the team.
“Just trying to be the best teammate that I can.”
