Zac Lomax led Parramatta to secure their initial victory of the season despite suffering a fractured foot. This places him in a challenging position as he competes against time to regain fitness for the inaugural State of Origin match.
Last Saturday, Lomax secured the Eels' initial victory under coach Jason Ryles with a golden-point field goal during their 23-22 triumph against his previous team, St George Illawarra.
Initially, it was thought that Lomax endured bruising on his foot, as he spent much of the second half favoring his leg.
However, scans showed later on Tuesday that Lomax sustained a small fracture in his foot. The 25-year-old is expected to be sidelined for the upcoming six weeks, missing out on this weekend’s game against Canberra in Darwin as a result.
The most probable choice for Ryles to rely on in Lomax's absence seems to be Bailey Simonsson.
The injury puts Lomax at a significant disadvantage when it comes to returning to the NSW team for State of Origin I in Brisbane on May 28.
One of the standout performers during the Blues' triumph in 2024 was Lomax, who played in every match as an ex-Dragon winger. He crossed for three tries and successfully kicked eight goals after taking over the role of NSW's placekicker.
Should Lomax’s recovery stay on track, he will be set to play for the Eels in Round 11 against Newcastle on May 16, leaving him with only one game to make his case for reinstatement.
NSW coach Laurie Daley plans to announce his team list for the opening match of the series on May 19.
Lomax’s injury coincides with New South Wales wing player Brian To'o also being unavailable due to a hamstring problem, anticipated to keep him off the field until round nine.
Tom Trbojevic, Manly’s fullback who has experience playing as both a winger and center in State of Origin, is scheduled to return in round nine following a medial ligament injury.
Daley will similarly hope for immediate improvement from Eels playmaker Mitchell Moses once he recovers from his foot problem.
Moses has been grappling with discomfort in his foot due to a screw placed during an operation he had last year and was a key player for the Blues in the previous year's series.
He is scheduled to return in round nine and will compete with Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai for a spot as a five-eighth or halfback in New South Wales' team setup.