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Dragons enforcer Jack de Belin is among the toughest forwards in rugby league, but he admits he’ll will never be tougher than his late grandfather Fred.
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He is among the hardest forwards in rugby league but Dragons enforcer Jack de Belin admits he will never be tougher than his late grandfather Fred, who flew bombing missions over Germany in World War II.
“I can only hope to be half as tough as my Pop. The things he did compared to what I do – I just have to play football, he went and fought on the front line. I’d like to think I’ve inherited some of his toughness but we’re still worlds apart,” de Belin said.
De Belin, 34, will again honour his war hero Pop Fred, a premiership-winning player for Balmain in the NSWRL, during Friday’s emotional Anzac Day blockbuster against Sydney Roosters at Allianz Stadium.
Fred de Belin, father of Jack’s dad David, was an RAAF Flying Officer whose active service included German bombing missions around 1944.
A pilot and navigator, Fred later became a bomb aimer, after further education in Canada, before being transferred to England where he enlisted into action.
Aged 24, Fred flew the maximum 30 bombing mission flights in a Lancaster and rose to the rank of Flying Officer. His prime targets were enemy munitions factories and key military sites.
“I spoke to my Pop a couple of times about it (the war) but he just said he used to fly over Germany and aim the bombs,” de Belin said. “He would have seen some (terrible) things and I‘m pretty sure he got injured as well.
“It was never something he spoke or went on about. He didn’t seem to carry any emotional scars. He was just my Pop. You wouldn’t have known he went to war unless you saw his medals.
“He was only a young fella who flew to the other side of the world to go to war. It’s incomprehensible to think about. It’s crazy. Imagine me having to pack up my life, go overseas and fight in a war?
“It’s not believable but that’s what a lot of young men did and sacrificed their lives. I always aspired to say I played NRL, just like my Pop did. He went away to war, came back and then had a successful NRL career.
“Anzac Day is pretty special. We have busy lives so sometimes you forget about the special people in your life and Pop played a big part in my childhood, just being there for me.
“It will be a good time to reflect on him and realise how fortunate I am to live in this free country and play the Greatest Game of All on Anzac Day. I am blessed.”
A City, NSW and Australian player, Fred played 75 games for Balmain, was part of the Tigers’ 1946 premiership-winning side, was inducted into the Balmain Hall of Fame in 2006, became a life member of the Balmain District Football Club and was an ex-Balmain captain.
In his eight Tests, Fred played with legends including Clive Churchill, Duncan Hall and Keith ‘Yappy’ Holman.
A sportsman of rare talent, Fred was the NSW amateur wrestling champion, the combined Australian services light heavyweight boxing champion while representing the British Empire force’s rugby union side in England, France and Wales.
As a kid, Jack would visit his grandparent’s home Cootamundra, they lived just 400 metres apart, to watch sport together. Young Jack also wore Fred’s war medals for the annual march down Parker Street.
Fred died in 2006 aged 85.
“He was alive until I was 15,” said Jack. “Pop and I connected because we both loved sports. If there was a cricket Test match on, or the footy, I’d ride around to his house and we’d watch sport together.
“He loved cricket. We would watch every ball bowled over five days during my school holidays. He loved rugby league as well. He would watch any sport, lawn bowls.”
De Belin will play his tenth Anzac Day game this Friday, moving alongside Ben Hornby, and just one match behind frontrunners Matt Cooper, Jason Nightingale and Ben Creagh.
This is more than just a game for de Belin – it’s about respecting his grandfather.
“It’s special when you hear the Last Post – it’s surreal to be honest,” de Belin said. “I wouldn’t say I’m emotional. I definitely have a soft spot but not to the point where I’m shedding tears.
“When I was a kid, I used to march down the main street in Cootamundra wearing his medals. I’m majorly proud of Pop.”
Originally published as Roosters v Dragons, Warriors v Knights: Live NRL scores, news & SuperCoach analysis
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