St George Illawarra back-rower Jack de Belin has revealed he’s been “hurt” by his absence from the State of Origin arena as a consequence of his time out of rugby league when he was stood down by the NRL.
De Belin was an integral part of the 2018 NSW side that broke a two year losing streak.
The 31-year-old played in all three games under Brad Fittler in that series, which the Blues won 2-1.
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“Obviously one of the things that hurt me the most was not being able to play Origin,” de Belin told The Sydney Morning Herald. “Since I played, I haven’t watched a game. It just hurts me too much not being there and a part of it. I refused to watch it until I play again.
“I would check the score afterwards, but it just hurt me too much. That was the little [promise] I made to myself. It would obviously help a little bit better if the team and my form was higher, but there’s plenty of weeks to go.”
De Belin returned to the NRL last year after missing all of seasons 2019 and 2020 due to a lengthy court battle fighting sexual assault charges.
The jury in de Belin and co-accused Callan Sinclair’s trial found the pair not guilty of one charge, but were unable to reach a verdict on five other charges, with last year’s second trial marking the end of the ordeal when it was determined that there would not be a third trial.
During that time, de Belin fell under the NRL’s no-fault stand-down rule, which allows contracted players who are dealing with serious police charges to continue being paid despite being stood down from playing duties.
He’s played just 17 NRL games since returning to the field in the middle of 2021.
De Belin says he’s determined to return to the Blues, conceding he’s got work to do to demand selection.
“I’m just going to keep building and keep climbing and you never know, with a few injuries I could make my way back in there,” he added.
“I’ve been there before and proved I belong there.”
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