The Dragons will use their third captain this year with Blake Lawrie to relieve Jack de Belin of the duties as they try to compensate for a leadership vacuum at the club.
De Belin, who was a controversial appointment as captain in Ben Hunt’s absence earlier this year during the State of Origin series, will take a back seat to Lawrie, who is considered one of the senior figures in St George Illawarra’s playing group.
Lawrie would have been a contender for the loss to the Dolphins in late May, but was sidelined with a broken hand at the time.
Friday night’s clash with the Raiders at WIN Stadium will be the first time Lawrie has captained the Dragons.
St George Illawarra were believed to have been impressed by de Belin stepping up to fill the role while Hunt was on Queensland duty, but stressed Lawrie would have been a perfect fit if he hadn’t been injured.
The 26-year-old only this year signed a three-year contract extension which will keep him at the Dragons until 2026 and he will be crucial to incoming coach Shane Flanagan’s hopes of rejuvenating the club.
St George Illawarra forwards Jack de Belin and Blake Lawrie.Credit: Getty
Speaking to this masthead about his elevation as Dragons captain in May, de Belin said: “This means the world to me, and to be able to lead this proud club after everything I’ve been through, it’s super satisfying and a good reward.”
De Belin was sidelined for more than two years under the NRL’s no-fault stand-down policy as he fought sexual assault charges following a night out in Wollongong in 2018.
A jury failed to reach a verdict in his first trial before a jury in a second trial found him not guilty of one sexual assault charge and couldn’t reach a verdict on five others. The Director of Public Prosecutions opted against pursuing a third trial.
The Dragons are trying to turn around two heavy losses in the past fortnight against the finals-chasing Warriors and Sharks, conceding a combined 100 points. The loss to the Warriors was de Belin’s 200th NRL match, just the sixth player to achieve the feat in St George Illawarra history.
Amid speculation Hunt won’t be at the Dragons beyond this year following his request to be released from his contract, the club is trying to avoid its first wooden spoon in the history of the joint venture but still have to play the Eels, Rabbitohs, Storm and Warriors in their last eight matches.
Stream the NRL Premiership 2023 live and free on 9Now.
Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.