De Belin’s patience to be tested as he awaits verdict

The court case against the ARL and NRL is over, but it could be a long wait for a verdict.

Jack de Belin arrives at the NSW Federal Court in Sydney today. Picture: AAP

Jack de Belin’s patience is set to be tested further after the judge in his Federal Court of Australia case against the ARL Commission and NRL indicated she was highly unlikely to hand down a verdict next week.

De Belin’s case against the commission over their no-fault stand-down policy came to an end this afternoon following four days of legal argument in room 18C of the Federal Court of Australia.

Jack de Belin case: court documents
Jack de Belin affidavit on Peter Beattie’s comments | De Belin’s amended pleadings | ARL Commission’s defence | Andrew Abdo (NRL chief commercial officer) affidavit | Steve Gillis (de Belin’s agent) affidavit | Todd Greenberg affidavit

Both sides were playing their cards close to their chest, the verdict to have ramifications for not only the St George Illawarra and NSW forward, but also Manly centre Dylan Walker and Penrith half Tyrone May.

The repercussions for de Belin are significant both in terms of his playing and financial future. While he will miss the club’s Anzac Day game against the Sydney Roosters, success in the federal court would likely mean he would be available to play Parramatta in round eight.

Beyond a return to the playing field, the financial impact of a long-term ban were rammed home by his own agent in an affidavit he supplied as part of the hearing.

Steve Gillis, who has been de Belin’s agent since he was a teenager and has spent the past four days seated beside the Dragons forward in court, suggested de Belin could be forced to take a pay cut of more than 50 per cent in his next contract should he be forced to spend this season and next on the sidelines.

That would be a costly affair according to his agent — de Belin is currently on a deal worth around $600,000 a season but would likely be paid less than $300,000 a season from 2021 according to Gillis.

“If Mr de Belin is unable to play in 2019, and for any significant part of the 2020 season, in my experience, he would likely find it difficult to negotiate a new playing contract with the club or any other club as he will have been out of the NRL competition for a lengthy period,” Gillis said.

“Even if he was able to obtain a new contract, in my estimation, he would likely suffer a substantial loss reduction in his contract remuneration, probably greater than 50 (per cent).”

De Belin was in court again today, watching on impassively alongside Gillis as the respective legal teams put forward their final submissions.

ARL Commission legal counsel Alan Sullivan QC told the court that the de Belin charge was the straw that broke the camel’s back and that they want their players to be role models who are seen as people who respect the law and the game.

He said the fact players are charged with serious criminal offences — de Belin has been charged with aggravated sexual assault following an incident in Wollongong late last year — had the potential to seriously impact on the reputation and image of the game.

In reference to the goals for the players, Sullivan said: “That is to be a role model in society. Taking steps to ensure those associated with our game are seen as people who have respect of the law, respect of the laws of our tribe, and particularly respect for the laws relating to violence against women.

“To do things in our power (to enable that) to the extent that is possible. The fact that players are charged with serious criminal offences has the capacity to seriously impact on the reputation and image of the game of rugby league, especially if no action is perceived to be taken.

“If those players that have a bad name or a bad reputation or have been accused rightly or wrongly of bad things — and the game is being accused rightly or wrongly (of inaction) — the perception from sponsors turns from a positive one to a negative one.

“That has an impact.”

De Belin’s legal counsel Martin Einfeld QC responded by suggesting the game had lost few if any sponsors despite a litany of bad behaviour in recent years.

“This game does not belong to the sponsors,” Einfeld said.

“The rugby league does not conduct rugby league for the sponsors. It conducts rugby league for the players and the public.

“The rugby league has shown no concern for Jack de Belin’s case at all. The evidence is overwhelming.

“The only time he was asked about any of this was when he was asked whether he was going to voluntarily resign.

“Why didn’t Mr Greenberg say have you got anything to say as to why perhaps we shouldn’t make a special rule for someone such as yourself?

“That wasn’t said, wasn’t contemplated. The idea that the rugby league has noble motivate to protect their players is completely discordance with the evidence.”

Sullivan suggested the charge against de Belin — coming during what has been dubbed the summer of hell due to a litany of off-field issues — had compelled the ARL Commission to act.

Einfeld demurred.

“If that is the straw that broke the camel’s back, how do we know tomorrow another straw won’t come along,” Einfeld said.

NRL’s “summer of hell” cost Stoemr $500,000

Melbourne chair Bart Campbell appeared earlier in the day, the final witness to take the stand in a court hearing that could also have implications for Manly centre Dylan Walker and Penrith half Tyrone May.

Both have been stood down using chief executive Todd Greenberg’s discretionary powers to act against players who have been charged by police with offences carrying penalties of less than 11 years.

De Belin was automatically stood down under the rule because his charge carried a sentence of 11 years or more. Campbell told the court that the game’s so-called summer of hell hurt the club’s attempt to secure a new major sponsor and had the potential to halt their robust commercial progress.

He revealed several sponsors walked away from the club amid concerns with the code’s off-field reputation.

Campbell insisted as he left court that his support for the ARL Commission and NRL had nothing to do with de Belin on a personal level.

“This is not about Jack de Belin, this is about a policy for the game,” Campbell said.

“In all of my correspondence, which is attached to the affidavit, I only mention his name once.

“I have no issues with Jack per se, but I want the game to be able to make choices about how it can protect its value going forward

He was also asked to clarify comments in relation to recent headlines around the salary cap crisis that embroiled the Storm in 2010 — club captain Cameron Smith was quoted at the season launch in March asking the NRL to revisit the decision to strip the club of two premierships.

‘Recent issues halted commercial success’ … Melbourne Storm chairman Bart Campbell. Picture: AAP

Campbell had been asked about those comments by de Belin’s legal counsel Martin Einfeld QC, the implication that they too had the potential to drive away sponsors.

“In the six years I have been involved with the club sponsorship has increased by 73 per cent, crowds have increased by 70 per cent, membership has increased by 75 per cent and our TV viewership has gone from 11 to 19 million,” Campbell said.

“So I think it is misleading to suggest that a recent conversation that was topical in the context of the salary cap issues at Cronulla has in any way dented the commercial program at the club.

“The commercial program at the club is robust, it has been growing for a long period of time, we have had great success commercially.

“The recent issues have halted that success.”

Campbell was one of the more outspoken club officials as the game waded through a series of off-field incidents over the summer, the most high-profile the aggravated sexual assault allegations made against de Belin.