Add CategoryThe under-fire Jack de Belin has received some support from one of his NSW Origin teammates with Panthers half James Maloney backing him to play in round one.
St George Illawarra Dragons star is the subject of court proceedings after the 27-year-old pleaded not guilty to the charge of aggravated sexual assault in company of a 19-year-old woman.
The Dragons have refused to stand him down while the NRL is reportedly seeking legal advice as it contemplates standing down players charged with serious offences to continue the crack down on poor off-field behaviour.
De Belin is out of the Dragons’ first trial game of the season against Newcastle, with a virus blamed for sidelining him.
“Jack de Belin was sent home from training on Monday by the club medical staff with a virus and has been ruled out this weekend as a result,” a statement from the Dragons said.
Representative forwards James Graham and Tyson Frizell will also miss the Kogarah Oval match over workload concerns.
While the debate continues to rage over whether de Belin should be stood down, Maloney, who is a director of the Rugby League Players’ Association, told reporters he should be able to play if fit.
“The whole thing in our country is innocent until proven guilty, and just because he’s a footballer doesn’t mean he loses that right,” he said of de Belin.
“You get into some really muddy waters when you start making punishments and doing things before anything is actually (proven). I’ve run into a few of the boys and spoken to them about how he is. I haven’t spoken to him personally, but he’s doing it pretty tough I think, as is anyone in that sort of situation.
“At the end of the day everything will come out with what has gone on, and then you deal with it after that.’’
The Australian Rugby League Commission will meet next week when the issue will be top of the agenda in the wake of a scandal-plagued off-season.
Should the ARLC change the game’s long-held policy of allowing players to take the field while they are before the courts, St George Illawarra lock de Belin could be immediately sidelined.
ARLC chairman Peter Beattie said the independent commission were collecting legal advice, specifically whether being stood down would affect a defendant’s presumption of innocence.
Beattie said they would look at the disciplinary policies of the AFL, soccer, rugby union, the International Olympic Committee and major overseas sports. Feedback from clubs and those in the game, as well as input from commissioner Professor Megan Davis, a highly-regarded lawyer, will also be considered.
“The ARLC and NRL are not sitting on our hands,” Beattie said. “In light of recent events, we are reviewing the game’s current disciplinary policy.
“The ARLC will be decisive and clear about the game’s policy coming out of our meeting on February 28. We will listen to all our stakeholders.
“We will make an informed decision based on all these facts and after taking it to a meeting of club and state chairs and CEOs that day, it will be announced and vigorously explained and defended.”
Any attempts to change policy are set to be met with stiff opposition from the Rugby League Players Association.
Maloney said rugby league “shouldn’t negotiate” around issues involving women but asked for perspective on other issues which find their way into the spotlight.
“It’s never ideal, a thing you’ve got to remember is that there are a lot of NRL out there that aren’t in any trouble and have done the right thing,” he said.
“Unfortunately in the demographic that play our game it’s always hard to be perfect. At the end of the day, the stuff around women, there needs to be hard stance on that but some of the other stuff needs to be kept in perspective.
“I just think that when there’s a high profile person and grabs headlines and makes news when we can put it in perspective in the big scheme of things how bad is it, I think that’s how we need to look at things.
“There are things around women that we shouldn’t negotiate around, that really needs to be addressed hard and other than that, treat everything on its merits and get a bit of perspective around it.”
Corey Norman was named to play his first game in the Red V alongside Ben Hunt and Gareth Widdop, while Newcastle have named Kalyn Ponga at five-eighth for the match alongside Mitchell Pearce at halfback, with David Klemmer poised to play his first game for the Knights.
— with AAP