Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, John Lomax had to walk into Billy Moore's.
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Former Raiders prop John Lomax laughs, revealing he's spoken to Moore, the former North Sydney and Queensland forward, only once in the 20 years since the infamous high tackle that cost Lomax his spot in Canberra's 1994 grand final win.
In a team filled with rugby league royalty, Lomax was Canberra's player of the year in 1994.
But he was suspended for the grand final against the Bulldogs after being sent off for a high shot on Moore in the preliminary final against the North Sydney Bears.
Before the 20-year premiership reunion at Canberra Stadium on Friday night, Lomax said missing the decider still haunted him "to a degree".
But the former Kiwi international prop revealed he had confronted Moore during a chance encounter – amazingly in a Sydney bar the night he was suspended, in 1994.
"I did catch up with him jovially one night on the drink before the [1994] grand final," Lomax said, laughing.
"It was after the [judiciary] hearing, I was disappointed I'd been suspended and I was out with a couple of Kiwi mates ... we ran into each other, got up to the bar and had a bit of a yarn, mate, but nothing more than that ... a couple of my mates had to get between us and settle it down a bit.
"We'd been hoping Billy Moore would come up [to the judiciary hearing], [Canberra captain] Mal [Meninga] would get in touch with his Queensland mate and he'd come in there and push my cause a little bit, but that didn't eventuate.
"I didn't think there was a helluva lot in it. I got whacked probably about 10 minutes earlier, when [Norths prop] Tony Hearn hit me around the head. I was a little bit concussed, we tried to use that when we went to fight the case."
Lomax will attend Friday night's reunion for a 1994 team that included Raiders legends such as Mal Meninga, Ricky Stuart, Laurie Daley, Bradley Clyde, Steve Walters, David Furner, Jason Croker, Brett Mullins, Ruben Wiki and Ken Nagas. It was Lomax who topped them all to be named player of the year in 1994.
"I think it was a bit of a sympathy vote," Lomax says, modestly. "You know, cause I didn't get to play in the grand final."
After a decade back in New Zealand, Lomax is living again in Canberra, working for the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union.
Lomax had wanted to be a softballer growing up, pitching New Zealand to an under-19s world championship victory. When 20, his eventual father-in-law asked him to have a crack at rugby league.
Soon after Raiders coach Tim Sheens recruited him to Canberra. He played 65 first-grade matches for the Raiders from 1993 to 1996 before following Sheens to the North Queensland Cowboys.
The bond between the pair is obvious: Lomax's eldest son is named Sheen.
While Lomax downplayed his own role in the 1994 Raiders premiership, Sheens recalled doing everything he could to get his top prop on the field for the decider against the Bulldogs. The Raiders hired a lawyer, then even tried to present biomechanical evidence in their appeal.
Sheens eventually had to select Paul Osborne, who became a grand final hero. He says he felt for Lomax.
"I think it was a tough call," Sheens recalls. "I had words with the league and referee at the time.
"John had earned the right to be there all year as one of our key players. We attempted everything we could ... at the end of the day they knocked us back."
Lomax said he was relieved to watch the Raiders win, thankful he had not cost his teammates the title and that he could celebrate with them.
"Tim Sheens had a jumper ready for me on the sideline and chucked it on me and pushed me into line to make sure I got my premiership medal and I could walk around with the boys in the celebrations."
