NRL 2021: Jack de Belin’s NSW Cup return impresses Dragons coach Anthony Griffin
Jack de Belin made his long-awaited return to rugby league with a solid effort in the NSW Cup, but he may have to wait a little longer before returning to the NRL.
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Jack de Belin is back but his return to the NRL may have to wait another week with coach Anthony Griffin declaring it would be a “big ask” for him to back-up in just five days.
A noticeably slimmer de Belin played about 45 minutes in his return in 968 days after his sexual assault chargers were formally dropped on Friday.
He carried the ball strongly and his late off-load was still on display but there is little doubt de Belin needs more time in reserve grade before he pushes for selection.
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The Dragons play Brisbane on Thursday night and the expectations are de Belin will pull up sore after the match it would be unlikely he would be rushed straight back into the squad.
Griffin confirmed as much.
“I would rather see how he gets through,” Griffin said. “It’ll be a big ask for him to play next Thursday. He will be terribly sore. Let’s see what happens in the next couple of days.
“He wants to play as quickly as possible. We want to get him on our list. We aren’t going to do anything stupid which would put him in jeopardy after being out for such a long time.
“I’ve been really impressed with him. He has had his challengers off the field in the last couple of years.
“I haven’t had a great deal to do with him but he has been really determined and focused. He wants to get back into the NRL. As soon as that is the right time, he will be there.”
De Belin came on with 23 minutes remaining in the first half and played until about the midpoint in the second half. He was greeted with a round of applause when he first walked onto the field with a host of his teammates including Ben Hunt, Tariq Sims, Andrew McCullough and Zac Lomax cheering him on.
St George Illawarra skipper Hunt said de Belin “handled it well”.
“It’s been a long-time without footy,” Hunt said. “There were a couple of periods where he was blowing a bit hard. That’s going to happen.
“That’s to be expected when you don’t play for so long. You come into it when everyone has been playing 10 or 11 games you’re going to be a little bit off the pace.”
With his right elbow heavily strapped de Belin – who did not comment after the game - carried twice and had three touches in his first set during the Dragons’ 26-18 loss to Western Suburbs. He screamed to his teammates to “top-load the defence and dig in” as they came onto the field after half-time. There was a period of confusion for de Belin too who raced to pack a scrum during the match in what is now a changeover. Griffin joked there were about “50” rule changes since he last played.
The Dragons coach said he was looking forward to de Belin joining the squad on Monday.
“That will be a good thing to have him back in the group,” Griffin said. “He has been part of the club the past couple of years but for the first time in a while he can turn up to training on Monday and know he is back in the group.
“He will be alright wherever it is (when he is recalled). He is entitled to be treated well.”
TEAMMATES SHOW SUPPORT FOR DE BELIN
Team de Belin was out in full force as Jack de Belin’s 30-month exile came to an end at a modest suburban oval.
It was a long way away from his time spent as a NSW star playing in front of packed crowds — instead de Belin’s return came in front of about 1000 people against Western Suburbs at Lidcombe Oval.
Among them were his partner Alyce Taylor and the couple’s two children including a new-born baby, which Ms Taylor shielded from the wind. Sitting just 20 metres to Ms Taylor’s left was de Belin’s co-accused Callan Sinclair who mingled with friends who sipped drinks as he watched on.
It was a far cry from what de Belin and Sinclair would have been contemplating the past two years before rape chargers were formally dropped this week.
De Belin showed obvious rust in his first match since September 2018. He played about 45 minutes off the interchange bench and looked slimmer than when he featured last.
His St George Illawarra teammates also rallied around him. Skipper Ben Hunt, Tariq Sims, Zac Lomax and Andrew McCullough were among the familiar faces in the crowd as were a host of their partners and children. St George Illawarra coach Anthony Griffin was also an interested onlooker.
Hunt said the players wanted to show their support for their teammate.
“It’s pretty special,” Hunt said.
“When the boys finally got the news there was a lot of excitement around the place. The boys were pretty pumped. Straight away we were trying to find out if he was playing this weekend.
“It’s good to see a lot of the boys get around him.
“It’s good to see not just the players here and their partners as well. Jack’s young family is here supporting him. His friends and family who have stuck behind him the whole time.
“It’s a bit of a reward for all the hardwork and patience that has gone into it. It’s exciting to see him back playing again.”
While a personal security guard flanked de Belin’s every movement off the field there was little heckling of the 30-year-old who is able to take up four year deal with the club worth about $3million.
Instead he was greeted warmly including by long-term Dragons fan Arthur who gave de Belin a high five as he took the field in warm-up.
“I said ‘welcome back Jack’ and he said thank you,” he said. “It’s good to see him back. We need him but it’s good to see him play football. It’s all finished now.
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