Super Rugby Pacific: Western Force back Mac Grealy says Zac Lomax could feature after Darby Lancaster injury

Freshly re-signed Western Force full-back Mac Grealy believes star signing Zac Lomax could make up for lost time this weekend and make his Super Rugby Pacific bow after a postponed debut. But after Lomax was held out of his expected Force debut over the weekend, the cross-code convert’s availability is even more in demand after winger Darby Lancaster was ruled out of Saturday’s clash against Fijian Drua. The Force have stayed in Brisbane after their 42-19 thrashing of Queensland Reds and are eyeing back-to-back wins to gain ground in the finals race when they travel to Lautoka to face the Drua. But Lancaster, who has scored four tries in his first five Force games, will not be joining them, with Grealy revealing he had flown home after landing awkwardly on his ankle while snaring an acrobatic try from Ben Donaldson’s cross-field kick. “Unfortunately for poor Darbs, he’s had to fly back to Perth, bit of a sore ankle there. Hoping it’s not too major, we all saw the vision of that catch. That’s been pretty tough,” Grealy said. It has opened a door for ex-NSW State of Origin winger Lomax, who the Force preemptively ruled out of the Reds game last Thursday after naming him on the bench on Wednesday, for his rugby union debut. Force coach Simon Cron told reporters after the Reds game Lomax was a chance to feature in Fiji and Grealy said Lomax had trained well since the match. “He’s been training, looking really sharp. He’s definitely putting himself in the mix,” he said. “It was pretty devastating for him last week. He has certainly put in the work since he got here from the day he got here, and I know he had a lot of family coming up for that game. “To be ruled out the day before was pretty tough, but he handled it like an absolute professional and that’s how he’s handled things since he’s come in. “When it gets to him coming on the field, I’m just excited to see what he can do and how he gets himself into games. It’s exciting for us as a team, it’s like having a new toy as a kid, getting to use it.” Fortunately for the Force, there is better news for another winger Dylan Pietsch, who Grealy said was back in training despite coming off at half-time in his return from a foot injury. Grealy was one of the Force’s best in their win over the Reds, scoring a try of the season contender and leading his side with 130m gained in addition to beating four defenders. He had not been named in the Force 23 for either of the two losses preceding the Reds game, with Cron opting for Grealy’s housemate Max Burey, instead. “It’s always handy to have competition. Those guys are some freakish talents and it only makes you better when you’ve showing up every day, and there’s always pressure on the spot. There’s certainly no complacency within the group,” Grealy said. “Depth is a big part of a season. As we can see, there’s been plenty of injuries already this year and to have guys being able to step up, that there’s not any drop-off in ability, that’s massive. “If you look at the players as well, there’s plenty of versatility there so it’ll be a bit of a headache for Cronno and the team, but it’s pretty exciting to have sort of that talent in the Force backline.” Grealy re-signed with the Force on Tuesday, extending his contract until 2028 and called the decision a no-brainer. “I’ve really enjoyed my time over here, built a lot of strong connections on and off the field, and those things go a long way. It was a pretty easy decision to re-sign and really happy to have it done at this point of season as well, get out of the way,” he said.