A courtroom clash between Parramatta Eels and their former winger Zac Lomax will be held within weeks as the NRL club tries to stop him jumping ship.
The NSW State of Origin star has been in talks to sign with Melbourne Storm over recent weeks.
The 26-year-old was granted a release from Parramatta at the end of last season to pursue a contract with the rugby union competition R360.
However, when R360's kick-off date was pushed back from 2026 to 2028, he was left in limbo.
Parramatta has taken Lomax to the NSW Supreme Court claiming that it agreed to release the goalkicking outside back from his contract but had not granted him permission to join a rival NRL club until 2028.
The showdown has been set for an expedited two-day court hearing starting February 13.
During a short court hearing on Friday, the club's high-profile barrister Arthur Moses SC said the anticipated key issue would be whether the condition restraining Lomax from playing for other clubs was valid and enforceable.
Whether Parramatta will claim Lomax made misleading statements before securing his release for the R360 competition remains to be seen.
The club will decide whether to expand their case after viewing material subpoenaed from Melbourne Storm, Lomax's solicitor Ramy Qutami and his agent Clinton Schifcofske relating to the player's exit.
Lomax's barrister Alex Casselden SC did not tell the court whether his client would object to the subpoenas.
Neither barrister answered questions from journalists after the hearing.
The matter will return to court on January 29.
On Thursday the Eels released a statement saying mediation talks with Lomax and the Storm had broken down, prompting them to commence legal action.
After the postponement of the R360 competition, the former St George Illawarra star became an obvious target for Melbourne, who have farewelled Ryan Papenhuyzen and Nelson Asofa-Solomona since their grand final loss to Brisbane.
The Eels have said they would only waive their agreement with the winger if they were properly compensated by Melbourne.
Lomax, a three-cap Australian international who scored five tries in six Origin games for the Blues, only joined the Eels for the 2025 season after seeking a release from the final two seasons of his contract with the Dragons.
His exit from the Red V appeared to stem from his dissatisfaction with being moved from the centres to the wing by St George Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan.
In 19 games across his single season at Parramatta, Lomax scored nine tries and kicked 53 goals.
