Zac Lomax has reached a sensational settlement in his legal battle with Parramatta, agreeing not to return to the NRL without the Eels’ consent before the 2028 season.

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In a sensational development in the New South Wales Supreme Court on Tuesday, Eels’ barrister Arthur Moses told the court that the Eels and Lomax had settled a once bitter legal battle.

Under the agreement, Lomax is still bound by the terms of his release, which prevent him from signing with any other club without the Eels’ consent.

The Eels agreed to shorten his contract by one year. This means he can return to the NRL in the 2028 season without their consent.

This also effectively means Lomax’s hopes of joining the Melbourne Storm are over.

As part of the deal, the Storm must pay Lomax’s legal fees and the Eels $250,000 in legal costs.

Eels chief executive Jim Sarantinos wished Lomax well and said the lawsuit would in no way prevent the New South Wales and Kangaroos winger from playing again.

Rather, he said, it was to enforce Lomax’s release conditions to which he had agreed.

more: What NRL teams can offer to land Zac Lomax

“This was never about Zak never playing in the NRL, it was always about playing the right way,” he said off court on Monday.

“And we’re completely open to working with Zach and his agent and if we find a home and it leads to the right football outcome for us, we’re not going to stand in the way of that deal.”

“But I think we’ve proven through this process that we’re not going to put ourselves in a bind.”

The settlement comes just before a long-awaited hearing begins in the Supreme Court.

There will also be a blockbuster Round 1 showdown between the Eels and Storm at AAMI Park on Thursday, when both teams open their seasons.

“It’s a bit of rugby league poetry that we play the Storm on Thursday,” Sarantinos said.

“Hopefully we can get a win at AAMI Park as well and that would be a good way to cap this all off.”

The Eels released a statement on Tuesday, claiming that “the Storm have never made a viable offer that would provide appropriate value to our football program.”

Lomax is embroiled in a legal battle with the Eels after Parramatta demanded compensation in exchange for allowing them to sign last year’s eliminated grand finalist.

The two sides are due to face off at a hearing in the NSW Supreme Court this week, with the court being told on Monday that Parramatta and Storm were in negotiations and were “very close” to a resolution.

The court was told on Tuesday morning that both sides had reached an agreement.

As part of the settlement, the Storm will also have to pay $250,000 in Eels legal costs.

The Eels said on Tuesday they were prepared to work with Lomax and his agent to find an NRL club willing to sign him, provided he received “remuneration appropriate to the football program”.

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The Eels sued their former star last year after he was released from his $700,000-a-year contract after he told Rugby Union he wanted to pursue his chance at R360 after a global breakaway tournament failed at the start.

Parramatta have agreed to release the Australia and New South Wales international despite only being one year into his four-year contract.

Parramatta included a clause in the release that means he cannot play for any other NRL club for the duration of his contract, which runs until November 2028, without a written agreement.

Lomax began negotiations to join Craig Bellamy’s team in December after his contract became unclear.

However, negotiations between Melbourne and Parramatta broke down after both sides rejected offers from the other side.

Melbourne chairman Matt Tripp rejected the Eels’ proposed player swap in January, with Parramatta rejecting offers of $100,000 and $200,000.

According to court documents, the Storm offered him $300,000 earlier this year in the form of $211,000 in salary cap relief and an $89,000 transfer fee.

But negotiations failed, and Lomax and Eels prepared to face off in the Supreme Court.

The court was told on Monday that the parties were “very close” to reaching an agreement.

The Eels are understood to have voted at 10.30am on Monday that a potential deal with the Storm was void.

They agreed to the settlement at 9:10 a.m. Tuesday, 50 minutes before entering court.

Full statement from EELS

The Parramatta Eels today provide the following update regarding the litigation involving Zac Lomax and the Melbourne Storm.

In November 2025, as part of the termination of Zak Lomax’s contract with the Parramatta Eels for the remaining three years, Zak agreed not to play with any other NRL team until 31 October 2028, unless agreed in writing by the Eels.

For the past two months, the Eels and Melbourne Storm have been working to reach an agreement that would allow Zak to play for the Storm. The Storm never made a viable offer that provided adequate value to our football program.

The Eels and Storm have not been able to reach an agreement on the Eels’ side for Zak to agree to play for the Storm.

Today, by agreement, the Supreme Court made an order banning Zak from contracting, working, training or playing with any other NRL club until October 31, 2027 without the written consent of the Eels.

This court order is consistent with the terms of the bond in the Deed of Release that Zac signed with the Eels on November 16, 2025, except that the Eels agree that the period of incarceration will end on October 31, 2027 rather than October 31, 2028, with all other terms of the Release Deed remaining in place.

Melbourne Storm have agreed to a Supreme Court costs order for Melbourne Storm to contribute $250,000 towards legal costs incurred by the Parramatta Eels.

The Eels are keen to work with Zak and his agent to find an NRL club willing to sign Zak in exchange for the Eels receiving appropriate compensation for their football program.

Parramatta Eels chairman Matthew Beech said: “This legal action was in no way intended to prevent Zak from returning to the NRL. It was to ensure that the conditions of release that Zak agreed to after seeking legal advice were met. As we have said previously, contracts are an important part of the NRL as they are the same for all members of the community.”

“The court-ordered consent order confirms that the restraint that Zak agreed to when he signed his release deed is legally enforceable. A key condition of the restraint was the requirement that Zak obtain the Eels’ written consent before signing with any other NRL club.”

“I would like to thank Arthur Moses SC, the legal team led by Liam Meagher and the workplace law team for their guidance and advice throughout this process.

“We have always been willing to consider a deal to strengthen our football program. Although we have been trying for over two months, we were unable to reach an agreement with the Storm.”

“We believe Zak is a good young man and will work with him and his representatives in an open and transparent manner to find a way to reach an agreement that allows Zak to return to the NRL.

“While this period has faced some unique challenges, we felt strongly about standing up for what we believed was right, and we are grateful for the passion, unity and unity we have seen from our members, fans, sponsors and everyone within the club,” Beech added.