Zac Lomax: Western Force coach Simon Cron heaps praise on ‘consummate professional’ ahead of likely debut

Western Force coach Simon Cron has heaped praise on Zac Lomax ahead of his second shot at a Western Force debut, saying the star recruit had been a “consummate professional” throughout his early time with the club. Lomax — who has been building fitness on the sidelines since joining the Force last month — appeared set to make his union bow against Queensland Reds last week, only to be withdrawn ahead of the game due to hamstring tightness. He has again been named on the bench for his side’s clash with Fijian Drua in Lautoka on Saturday and Cron said he was confident the former NRL star would be able to make an immediate impact. “On the Thursday last week, he obviously tightened up, but he’s got through all the training’s. He’s looking good,” he said. “He’s coming off the bench, so that (his minutes) will be dictated by the guys on the field and how things progress. “He’s been the consummate professional for the whole time he’s been here. From the moment he arrived right up until captain’s run today, he’s been constantly focused on what he needs to do be at his best and how to do that within the team environment. I can’t fault him.” “He’s pretty experienced in what he’s done and think you’ll see that out on the park.” Cron was confident Tom Robertson (concussion) and Darcy Swain (illness) would not be sidelined long-term but was not as positive on the prognosis of Darby Lancaster, calling the loss of the in-form winger “gutting”. “He’s a legend of a man, he’s been awesome for us,” he said. “The injury’s still going through a bit of a process around scans and just looking at the outlook is for him . . . he’s out for a medium-term timeline and then we’ve got to see how we best progress with him.” The trio’s additions have made for a 10-player injury list headlined by Wallabies flanker Carlo Tizzano, but Cron said his team had built the depth and resilience to cover for their absentees. “It’d be fatal for us to have that injury toll last year. It probably would have been fatal even going into the Reds game, to have the guys out,” he said. “At the moment, it’s a really good sign of the rest of the team’s depth and the ability to be able to move guys into positions that can handle Super Rugby. It’s a big growth area for us and we’ve been really proud of the guys who had stepped up.” After Fiji was battered by a cyclone earlier in the week, Cron said his side had arrived to find conditions typical of what they normally experienced in the Pacific. “It sounds like it was pretty solid, but it’s blown through. It’s hot, it’s sunny, it’s humid, so it’s Fiji. It’s not too bad,” he said.