Jack de Belin’s return to the NRL field has been delayed for at least a week after he was ruled out of St George Illawarra’s trial against Newcastle with the club citing a virus.
With debate still raging over whether de Belin should be allowed start the NRL season after pleading not guilty to a sexual assault charge, all eyes were on the Dragons’ 28-man squad named for their first hit out on Saturday.
But while Corey Norman was named to play his first game in the Red V alongside Ben Hunt and Gareth Widdop, NSW State of Origin forward de Belin was ruled out on medical grounds.
“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,” the Dragons said.
Representative forwards James Graham and Tyson Frizell will also miss the Kogarah Oval match over workload concerns.
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.