Joey says Eels teen holds key to swift Lomax exit

Andrew Johns has urged St George Illawarra to pursue the signature of a gun Parramatta junior using the money freed up by Zac Lomax's departure. The Dragons this week announced Lomax will be released at the end of this year, freeing up $800,000 on their salary cap for 2025 and again for 2026. While they've been linked to the likes of Storm behemoth Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Panthers winger Sunia Turuva, Johns thinks the Red V should go down an entirely different path. He says the Dragons should chase Eels youngster Ethan Sanders. Sanders, 18, is considered one of the game's most promising young halfbacks, but he's battling to get a look-in at Parramatta. Even after a long-term injury to veteran No.7 Mitchell Moses last week, Eels coach Brad Arthur decided to put Blaize Talagi into the halves after making his debut at centre a week earlier. Dragons halfback Ben Hunt is 34 years old, while his partner Kyle Flanagan has struggled to make his mark in the NRL over seven seasons to date. "Ben Hunt is coming to the end... they've got to buy a half or a five- eighth," Johns told Wide World of Sports' Freddy and the Eighth. "Go and find the best young half or five-eighth in the country, or go to England, go to New Zealand, buy the best 18-year-old. "Young bloke at Parramatta, Ethan Sanders, he would be the bloke I'd be going after. "I've been watching lower grades closely the last couple of years - he is the next one. He's the next one that should be given an opportunity. "He's the next one who is ready to go." According to a Sydney Morning Herald report in February, Canberra has been trying to lure Sanders to the nation's capital. He is off contract with the Eels this year and his future is very much up in the air, given his pathway at the club is currently blocked. But due to the NRL's contract rules around young players, Sanders is unable to negotiate with rival clubs until after round six this season. If the Eels consider Sanders surplus to requirements, the Dragons could conceivably start negotiating with him in a fortnight's time. Intriguingly, Lomax has also been trying to gain a release from the Red V so he can join Parramatta this season, but it has so far been denied.