{"id":365575,"date":"2025-12-23T00:14:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T00:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/365575\/"},"modified":"2025-12-23T00:14:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T00:14:14","slug":"western-force-act-brumbies-table-deals-for-zac-lomax-ra-top-up-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/365575\/","title":{"rendered":"Western Force, ACT Brumbies table deals for Zac Lomax, RA top-up decision"},"content":{"rendered":"

The clock is ticking for Zac Lomax<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The former Parramatta Eels<\/a> star must make a call on his Super Rugby<\/a> future before the year is out.<\/p>\n

While the Brumbies have tabled a two-year contract to rival an offer from the Western Force, the Sydney Morning Herald<\/a> reports that Rugby Australia (RA) is being asked to provide a contract top-up for the 26-year-old to help seal the deal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

Zac Lomax looks on during the 2025 NRL Pre-Season Challenge.\u00a0Getty<\/p>\n

Lomax is reportedly prepared to take a pay cut to chase Wallabies selection ahead of the 2027 home World Cup.<\/p>\n

However, sources say French and Japanese clubs remain in the frame for his signature, offering financial terms that likely dwarf local bids.<\/p>\n

RA remains wary of overspending on a top-up while it works to secure star Waratahs winger Max Jorgensen.<\/p>\n

A five-year offer is already on the table for the 21-year-old, who comes off contract at the end of 2026.<\/p>\n

Under the current pay structure, Super Rugby franchises can offer a maximum $220,000 annual salary. To bridge the gap, RA provides top-up payments to a select group of roughly 30 players viewed as vital contributors to the Wallabies.<\/p>\n

Beyond the cash injection, these top-ups function as strategic investments, often tied to specific clauses ensuring Wallabies availability.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Zac Lomax celebrates a try. \u00a0NRL Imagery<\/p>\n

Without a top-up, Lomax faces a significant pay cut from his previous $700,000-a-year deal at Parramatta.<\/p>\n

Even playing all 15 Tests in 2026 would only net him $400,000, as match fees for non-central players sit at $12,000 a Test compared to the $10,000 paid to those on top-ups.<\/p>\n

Originally a marquee target for the rebel R360 competition, Lomax secured a release from Parramatta after only one season.<\/p>\n

But with that competition on ice until 2028, he has been forced to explore alternative paths for his immediate future.<\/p>\n

Having toured the Force’s facilities earlier this month, Lomax continues to weigh a move to the west.<\/p>\n

As both the Brumbies and Force ramp up pre-season training, the countdown is on to their round one showdown in Perth on February 14.<\/p>\n

Failure to sign a Super Rugby deal by year’s end leaves Lomax in footballing limbo, facing a 2026 pre-season without a home club.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The clock is ticking for Zac Lomax. The former Parramatta Eels star must make a call on his…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":365576,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-365575","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-rugby","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=365575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365575\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/365576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=365575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=365575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=365575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}