Jack De Belin of the St George Illawarra Dragons is prepared to make an unexpected international transfer, representing a country other than Australia.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the Dragons forward will be picked to play for the Papua New Guinea Kumals in the end-of-season competition.
According to reports, De Belin was persuaded to make his international debut for Papua New Guinea by new Kumals head coach Justin Holbrook. Despite appearing in three games for the NSW Blues in 2018, he has never worn the Kangaroos shirt or played for the team.
It is reported that he has previously turned down offers to play with the Kumals. This includes rejecting the notion of representing them at the Rugby League World Cup in England last year.
The 32-year-old is qualified since his grandmother was born in Papua New Guinea.
De Belin will add a lot of experience to the side, joining current NRL players Justin Olam, Alex Johnston, and Xavier Coates, as well as former NRL representatives Lachlan Lam, Nene McDonald, and Edwin Ipape on the roster.
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Tyrell Sloan of the St George Illawarra Dragons may have sustained a catastrophic injury during the Koori Knockout event.
Sloan will have a stressful wait in the coming days, according to News Corp, after suffering a suspected syndesmosis injury last week at an off-season event.
The Dragons fullback is expected to meet with physicians in the coming days to assess whether he needs surgery for the injury. At this point, the journal reports that operation will result in a three-month recuperation period.
This means that if he does need surgery, he won’t be able to start light jogging until early December this year, thereby putting a stop to his pre-season training.
Dragons fans and officials will be praying he doesn’t need surgery and that the injury is modest enough that it won’t interfere with his pre-season preparations for the 2024 season.
Sloan’s schedule has been hampered by injuries many times this year. He missed a month of football earlier this year owing to a minor calf issue.
Incoming coach Shane Flanagan has previously stated that he intends to present Sloan with a crucial pre-season as he and Zac Lomax compete for the number one jersey at the Dragons in 2024.
