Michael Cheika calls former Raiders enforcer John Lomax’s son Tyrel into Wallabies training squad

HIS father was a front-row league enforcer for Canberra and New Zealand, now Tyrel Lomax is being groomed to do the same for the Wallabies.

HIS father terrorised Australian league players for years as a front-row enforcer for Canberra and New Zealand, now Tyrel Lomax is on his way to doing the same to Kiwis after being brought into the Wallabies training squad.

Lomax, the 20-year-old son of league legend John Lomax, was a shock call-up into Michael Cheika’s 48-man squad that assembled in Canberra earlier this week.

“Tyrel Lomax was there,” Cheika said.

Rising star Tryel Lomax.

“He’s only had a couple of [Super Rugby] games but we see the potential.”

Lomax, a prop who weighs 127kg and stands 193cm, will come off the bench for Melbourne Rebels against the Brumbies on Saturday night.

League fans from the 1990s will remember John Lomax’s powerful impact in the star-studded Raiders team and for the Kiwis against the Kangaroos.

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While young Lomax is unlikely to be considered for Tests this year, the fact Cheika has brought him into the inner sanctum reveals he is well in the frame for the 2019 World Cup.

Other players whom Cheika sees as long-term prospects invited to the camp include Izack Rodda, Duncan Paia’aua, Ned Hanigan, Sef Fa’agase, Jake Gordon, as well as Western Force backrower Richard Hardwick.

Tyrel Lomax’s father John takes the ball up for Canberra in July 1994.

“Richard Hardwick, I’ve really been impressed with his form, so I think he could be crossing over into the other zone, a good character too,” Cheika said.

“I think it was really positive that they were there.

“We’re making a concerted effort with that group of players, so we can make a contest with the other group of players.

“And push, get our top players playing well, and get our young players coming through and all that squeezes out the best.

“Maybe we haven’t focused enough on those guys in the past to come up and compete.

“Of that 48 there were 35 or so that we’re looking at for June, and then maybe another 10 to 12 that are [future prospects].”

Cheika said it’s natural for Wallaby fans to doubt Australia can break their 14-year Bledisloe Cup drought this year as Australia’s Super Rugby sides are 0-12 against Kiwi opposition so far this year.

Melbourne Rebel Tyrel Lomax (right) during a Geelong Rams clinic. Picture: Alison Wynd

“We understand why people would be feeling like that but we’ve got a certain way we’re going to play in the jersey this year,” Cheika said.

“We toyed around with a couple of things last year in what we looked at, and tested a few things, and we’re very clear on how we want to play and the cause we want to play for.

“We started instilling that in our players, just putting it in their minds now.

“We went around to everyone at the start of the year about that, and we reinforced it now because maybe some of the points we made haven’t been picked up on by the Wallaby group of players.

“That doesn’t mean you then jettison those ideas, because that’s what we do too much of.

“I’m not letting this go lads, this is what we’re doing, this is how we’ve got to perform on the field and these are the things we’re looking for. I’m just not going to let it go, I’m never going to let it go until we play like that.

“I don’t want to say too much about that stuff because it happens on the field, we’ve got to show it on the field when we play.”