See all the telling clues that show one of Australia's biggest footy stars is on his way to being banned from the game for 10 YEARS

The Parramatta Eels have released winger Zac Lomax from his four-year NRL deal, and their public statement has given some telling clues about why he's widely tipped to end up at the controversial R360 rebel rugby competition.

Lomax made the move to Parramatta at the end of 2024 after a relationship breakdown with his previous club, the St George Illawarra Dragons.

But the Eels winger has now confirmed he will leave the club immediately, with Parramatta confirming he will 'pursue opportunities outside the NRL'.

Since the NSW Origin star also still has three years left on his mammoth four-year deal, Lomax will not be allowed to sign with another NRL club until then unless given permission by the Eels.   

Reports say the 26-year-old could earn nearly three times as much with the rebel competition as he would by staying in the NRL. 

His departure follows the exit of Melbourne's star fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen, who had also been linked with a move to the breakaway rugby union competition before its launch late next year.

Lomax, 26, had joined the Eels on a deal reportedly worth $700,000 annually.   

The NSW Origin gun's release was agreed to by the Eels on the basis he would not join a rival NRL club without their permission from now until 2029.

Lomax's premature exit frees up space in the salary cap for the Eels, who recently re-signed fellow winger Josh Addo-Carr and have Storm playmaker Jonah Pezet arriving for a one-season cameo before his move to the Broncos.   

There have been reported attempts from R360 to lure Brisbane, NSW and Australian star Payne Haas on a salary north of $3million a season.

Despite Australian Rugby League Commission chief Peter V'landys' attempts to rubbish the concept as a 'competition out of a Corn Flakes box', the NRL has threatened players with 10-year bans for defection to the rebel league. 

Most major rugby union nations, including Australia, are prepared to blacklist players from Test representation if they sign R360 deals. 

Argentina, Fiji and Japan weren't signatories to that commitment, with Melbourne CEO Justin Rodski floating the latter as a possible move for Papenhuyzen. 

The Japan domestic rugby season starts in December 2025.

'Whether or not he ends up playing for R360, or if he ends up playing at another NRL club, or playing rugby in Japan, I don't know,' Rodski said on Friday.

'One thing I do know is that he needed to take some time away from the game without any pressure on making a decision by November 1 or anything like that so that he could properly assess what he wanted to do with his life, let alone his professional sporting career.'

It comes as the specifics surrounding the NRL's threatened 10-year ban remain unclear.

Many are questioning whether Papenhuyzen or Lomax would be banned if they sign with the rebels, considering they would not be contracted to NRL clubs at the time of putting pen to paper.

'Are they allowed to negotiate with R360 if they're not under (NRL) contract, or did (Peter) V'landys mean if you negotiate with them at all, you can't play?' former NRL star Beau Ryan said on Triple M.

The privately-owned R360 league, registered to the United Arab Emirates Rugby Federation, is set to feature teams in London, Miami, Tokyo, Dubai, Boston, Cape Town, Lisbon, and Madrid, and hold a player draft in July.

Former England rugby star turned Royal Family member Mike Tindall is the face and co-founder of the competition, which aims to field six male and four female teams in its inaugural season.