Griffin’s telling Lomax remark amid ‘hard’ axing

Along with Lomax, Jacob Liddle and Toby Couchman have also been dropped for their Magic Round clash with the Tigers on Sunday. 

Speaking to media in Brisbane, Griffin said there were things Lomax “needs to work on in his game”, but said he wouldn’t reveal publicly what they were.

“My decision on Zac comes down to a lot of things, not whether he’s moved sides or whatever, and that’s stuff I’ll tell to him,” he said.

“But wherever you play, you play for the team and position is not an issue.”

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“In the end it comes down to me as a coach as to what I think is best for the team and what’s best for Zac long term, and you don’t make those decisions lightly.

“The whys and what he needs to do, that’s obviously between me and him and the coaching staff.”

Griffin said he had decided not to immediately sit down with Lomax to give him time to process the decision.

“My job as a coach is to care for him, particularly at times like this. For any player that gets dropped, it’s hard. I do that with the utmost care on a case-by-case basis,” he said.

“I just wanted Zac to have a little bit of time to process and then we’re going to sit down … as coach and player and go through it. 

“It comes back to performances and hopefully, for his sake (he’s not out) too long. It’s not something you have a timeframe on or a set remedy for, it’s just a part of football.”

Griffin said Lomax’s goal kicking was not a factor in his decision to drop him. He also confirmed he would not play reserve grade – at least not this weekend.

He said the decision on whether he would return to first grade via a stint in the reserves will only be made after they sit down.

Meanwhile Griffin laughed off suggestions he had “lost the plot” – when asked directly when he ideally would like to know what the club’s 2024 plans were, he answered with a straight bat.

“I’ve coached a long time, and we’ve got a really good group here,” he said.

“We’ve been close – it’s been extremely frustrating for us internally because we know how hard everyone’s working and (we) could easily have been sitting there with three or four wins over the last month. 

“But that’s rugby league. And that’s the NRL and you know, any change that we make is in the best interests of the team for the long term. 

“It’s not something that we just flippantly think, ‘If we do this, it might work’. It’s in the long term, and it’s calculated and it’s measured for everyone’s benefit – the players and the club.

McGregor backs Lomax for Blues

“I’m just happy doing what I’m doing. And I mean that … I’ve coached for a long time, I love coaching, and I would have been happy with one game. 

“But the situation we’re in at the moment, obviously there’s a lot of speculation … but my job is to be part of a team, and the players need you every week so that’s where I’m concentrating.

“It’s been a tough month. There’s been a lot of effort go in, most of the speculation comes from outside, not from internally. 

“We’re going pretty well.”

The Dragons will take on the cellar-dwelling Tigers, who are fresh off what could well be the upset of the season, having downed the back-to-back defending premiers in Bathurst last weekend.

While Ben Hunt has been named as his usual halfback, Griffin confirmed he will spend time at hooker to allow Jayden Sullivan and Junior Amone – who have played in those positions in SG Ball – to combine in the halves.

Griffin said before he had even approached Hunt to make the switch, Hunt had indicated he’d also had the idea.

Hunt is no stranger to playing up front – he won last year’s Origin series at No.9, as well as the World Cup.

“It’s just a sign of the leader that he is – he’s thinking of the team and what’s best for the team,” he said.

“He could easily have turned his nose up at it – he could easily be a 300 game player at halfback. That action from him is a great example to everyone in the team.”

Griffin said it’s not likely to be a long-term change.

“He does prefer playing at halfback, but he plays hooker for Queensland and Australia and plays it very well. So he understands he can play there. 

“If I let him pick the team, his preference would be that he plays halfback. But he understands at the moment with the people that we’ve got around him and coming through, he can give us a little bit more leadership by picking the ball up first all the time.

“And that’s going to benefit the team.”

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