Lomax enjoying 'surreal' journey

Jonny Lomax
12 April 2012

Jonny Lomax was in the crowd for all three of St Helens' previous Grand Final meetings with Leeds but he will be in the thick of the action at Old Trafford on Saturday evening after experiencing a meteoric rise to fame.

Lomax has so far made 28 appearances out of a possible 33 this year, initially at centre and full-back before settling into the scrum-half role he coveted after watching his hero Sean Long from the terraces.

"It's been pretty surreal," said the 21-year-old. "If I had played 17 matches this season, I would have been happy. But we got a couple of injuries leading into the first game and I played centre, ended up at scrum-half and stayed there ever since."

Lomax added: "To wear the shirt that Longy wore for 10 years or more, it's a bit of a dream really. Longy was a massive influence, he's done things you couldn't imagine other people doing.

"I was lucky enough to play with him in a few games. He's a genius, I learned so much from him even playing on the wing."

Lomax, who was a centre in last year's Grand Final defeat by Wigan, got his breakthrough at scrum-half when Kyle Eastmond, the player initially chosen to replace Long, was dropped in March for making an abusive gesture to Saints fans at the end of a shock home defeat by Harlequins.

Lomax made an immediate impact, guiding his team to a 30-16 win over Leeds at Headingley, and his subsequent form culminated in a call-up to England coach Steve McNamara's elite training squad.

Another impressive performance in Manchester could clinch a place in McNamara's 24-strong Four Nations squad when it is revealed on Monday but Lomax says he is not looking that far ahead.

"To be honest, I've not put my mind to that," he said. "The goal was 17 games and anything more was a bonus.

"To be called into the squad was massive but I'm not going to look ahead. If my season ended on Saturday, I couldn't complain."

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