Can you please summarise for us as it is behind a paywall
St George Illawarra officials gathered in their version of a war room recently to talk about their options when it came to suspended forward Jack de Belin.
What would they do if he was found not guilty of aggravated sexual assault charges? How would they handle a guilty charge? What would happen if the jury was once again unable to reach a verdict, leaving everyone in limbo?
Eventually, they threw their hands in the air and agreed they were wasting their time until his latest court case reached its conclusion.
That point is now seemingly only days away. The expectation is that a decision on de Belin will be rendered at some point this week, putting to bed more than two years of uncertainty for both he and the club.
The result will have ramifications beyond St George Illawarra. If de Belin avoids jail, the Dragons will likely end their search for forward reinforcements. One less club will be in the market for an elite player.
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If he is found guilty, a new player will emerge on the scene with money to spend and an appetite to use it. Suddenly, other clubs will be looking over their shoulder.
The Dragons have plan A and plan B. Plan C doesn’t bear thought – that is that the jury is unable to reach a unanimous verdict and the Dragons are forced to wait again while the Department of Public Prosecutions weighs up whether to roll the dice for a third time by having another trial.
In that situation, de Belin would remain in limbo and so would St George Illawarra because the no-fault stand-down policy would remain in effect.
De Belin would be unable to play while a third court case was a consideration. The hope for all concerned is that it comes to a conclusion this week.
The Dragons have been in talks with the NRL about how to handle the matter. In the event that he is found not guilty, he would be training again with the NRL squad almost immediately.
It would be a simple case of lodging some paperwork and having his contract registered with the NRL – he has been on a reduced deal while sidelined.
De Belin has been training with the NSW Cup side, coach Anthony Griffin and the club reaching the decision that it would be better to keep him removed from the first grade squad pending the outcome of his trial.
As well as his work with the NSW Cup side, he has been having regular sessions with the club’s high performance staff. Every physical challenge that he has been set, he has exceeded.
He has spent the past fortnight in a courtroom fighting for his future and he would no doubt need to get his hands back on the footy and spend some time in lower grades getting his timing back.
At the same time, his potential return would be a fillip for a Dragons side that has started the year better than anyone could have hoped.
Any return will need to be delicately handled by both the club and the NRL. De Belin will be an obvious target for rival supporters and the spotlight will be well and truly on him over the next month even if he is found not guilty.
The Dragons are entrenched in the top eight and they have avoided distractions to this point. They have recruited wisely and managed to avoid the sort of contract wrangles that have afflicted the likes of South Sydney and Brisbane.
By sending de Belin to train with the NSW Cup side, they have shown they are cognisant of the potential for his ongoing court battle to affect their season.
Griffin was asked whether it would be a relief to have the matter finally resolved. Relief, he said, was not the word he would use.
“It will come to an end – it will be an ending,” Griffin said.
“It will be significant for Jack obviously. As a club that is something we will make our decisions on what happens in court. It has been going on for a long time now.
“So one way or the other it will come to a head this week.”
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sp...n/news-story/977c6ffad96fcef3dd24ff9e233f98e3
