Dragons 2018: De Belin walking the walk on Origin stage
Dragons Den News
THE SPOILS: Jack de Belin celebrates the Blues series-clinching win over Queensland in Origin II at ANZ Stadium on Sunday night. Picture: AAP
FOR years Dragons hardman Jack de Belin has declared he's "made for Origin.” After Sunday night, who could argue?
Having finally earned that long-awaited maiden Blues jumper, he's two from two with a series win already in the bank. Made for it I tell ya'.
The defensive ace's performance in the Blues series-clinching 18-14 game-two win on Sunday was proof of what he knew all along.
“I've always said it I've always believed it. Anyone who's ever played with me or against me knows I'm made for Origin,” de Belin said.
“You don't want to come across as an arrogant tosser and that's not who I am at all, I'm a pretty modest guy. At the same time, you can only play good club footy for so long and I've said for a long time ‘I want to play Origin’ and I wanted to put my hand up.
"You'd be silly to not aspire to higher things. I'm a professional athlete and I want to be at the top of my game. To do that I needed to play Origin and I'm so thankful to Freddie and the crew for putting me in there.
“I was never in any doubt, if they put me in there I was going to perform. As silly as it might of sounded to some people, as arrogant as I might have come across, I knew I was going to get the job done.
“I know I'm not the flashiest player but I knew I'd bring plenty tough defence and when the time came I'd put my hand up.”
While there was no doubt his form was enough to back his vocal pitch for a NSW call-up, his body had different ideas, with the 27-year-old having required pain-killing injections to even make it on the park since injuring his hip against Melbourne in round nine.
It's seen him epitomise the Blues 'whatever it takes’mantra throughout the series, but de Belin said it was a jolt from club coach Paul McGregor that forced him to push through.
“The last month's been tough, I'd be lying if I said it hadn't, but I'd been saying for that long I wanted to play Origin so you would've had to cut my leg off to stop me from playing,” de Belin said.
“When I first did it against Melbourne [in round seven] I played the next weekend against Souths and it was probably my worst game of the year.
“I was thinking about too much and I was just off my game. I really wasn't happy with how I played and Mary had a good honest chat to me.
“He said ‘everyone plays with injuries, you've got to get your head right'. From there I just knew I'm no different to anyone else.
"People get needles every week and, since I got head around it, I've been fine. I'm obviously a bit battered and bruised but I got my needle and just ripped in.
“It's been pretty rewarding to know I can push through that pain barrier, play for my club and play for my state.”
It's also why he's keen to put his hand up to play for the Dragons against Parramatta in Wollongong on Thursday, despite a four-day turnaround.
“I love playing with my Dragons, the red v's the only club I've ever known and I'll take a needle for those boys any day of the week,” de Belin said.
“It's a short turnaround but, unless my hip is that bad, I definitely want to put my hand up for my club.”
https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/5487967/de-belin-walking-the-walk-on-origin-stage/?cs=3713
