‘Zac Lomax’s Heartfelt Moment Highlights Persistent Flaw as Excitement Grows’

He crossed for a try, assisted another, and contributed significantly to a thrilling victory over the Crusaders, but former Wallabies Morgan Turinui and Matt Dunning reckon Zac Lomax has one key aspect of his game that will take time to develop: game awareness.

After a promising debut against the Drua earlier this month, Lomax made his first start for the Force against the Crusaders last weekend, having transitioned from the NRL.

On the face of it, Lomax’s performance was encouraging, highlighted by his second-half try in the Force’s impressive 31-26 comeback win against the reigning champions.

Force halfback Henry Robertson made a smart move by frequently kicking the ball to Lomax, and the tactic yielded results as Lomax often sought to offload rather than just taking the tackle.

Lomax was instrumental in the Force’s opening try in the 35th minute, cleverly shifting from the right to the left side and beautifully partnering with Dylan Pietsch to set up Robertson’s score.

He then managed to equalise at 19-19 just before the hour mark with his own try.

However, it was the Crusaders’ subsequent effort shortly after that revealed Lomax’s inexperience in rugby, as he failed to rush up on defence and halt an attacking move. Instead, he found himself caught flat-footed and was left trailing behind loose-forward Dom Gardner, who assisted Noah Hotham’s try in the 58th minute.

Just a minute later, Lomax was substituted – a decision that proved to be prescient, as the Force went on to score twice more, securing a remarkable five-point win.

While Coach Cron expressed a preference for having the former Parramatta Eel at the club during pre-season, he was nonetheless excited by Lomax’s contributions and anticipated further improvements throughout the season.

Dunning echoed this sentiment during his analysis on Stan Sport’s Between Two Posts, noting how satisfying it was to see Lomax score early but suggesting he still needed to adapt to the game.

“Game awareness is probably where he needs a bit of development,” Dunning commented after being asked to assess Lomax’s performance.

“He’s strong in the air and possesses good awareness, but his decision-making indicates there’s room for improvement.”

Turinui praised Lomax’s skills but pointed to a defensively shaky moment that allowed Gardner to break free towards Hotham’s try as an area that requires further growth.

“He excels in individual capacities,” Turinui remarked.

“He’s an outstanding player. Whether it’s chasing a kicked ball, making a line break, passing, or overpowering an opponent, he’s truly impressive physically.

“However, the aspects that require connection with teammates, such as backfield cover and communication, are areas he needs to refine. For instance, during Hotham’s try, he should have advanced to challenge the second last attacker as Ben Donaldson provided cover behind him.

“Some of that relies on communication – Ben Donaldson needing to direct him ‘Go Zac, close down’, which didn’t happen, resulting in him being caught off guard.

“In rugby league, he would have charged in and made a tackle there. It’s a mental adjustment, as he instinctively wants to make the right play.

“What he needs now is more dialogue with his teammates, particularly the likes of Kurtley Beale and George Bridge, and ongoing conversation with Mac Greely and Ben Donaldson covering in the backfield.

“The more confident he is about his role within the complexities of a multi-phase attack and defence, the more effective he will become.”

The Western Force is the only team in Super Rugby Pacific not participating in the Super Round in Christchurch this weekend, as Cron’s squad takes a well-earned bye.