Melbourne offered to pay $211,000 towards Matterson’s contract on the cap – as well as $89,000 in cash. Parramatta wanted the Storm to pay about twice that amount to cover what Matterson is owed on the remainder of his 2026 contract. A meeting between the respective club chairs couldn’t break the stalemate, with the matter scheduled to be decided in court.
That resolution won’t come before the Storm hosts Parramatta in the opening round of the season, leaving Lomax in limbo. Melbourne’s pursuit of Lomax is expected to ramp up after Maroons and Kangaroos winger Xavier Coates suffered an Achilles injury that is expected to sideline him until round 10. The Storm’s outside back stocks were already stretched after Ryan Papenhuyzen left the club at the end of the season.
While the Lomax saga remains the biggest story of the NRL off-season, adding spice to the opening-round clash between the Eels and Storm, Matterson is at a crossroads. Concussions have been an issue during his decade-long career, stemming back to his time at the Roosters.
After suffering three head knocks in as many weeks while at the Tricolours in 2018, Matterson said he struggled to leave the house.
“I couldn’t leave to go anywhere,” Matterson told NRL.com at the time.
