Summary:
Jack de Belin, the Dragons' longest-serving current player, is set to leave the club at the end of the 2025 season to join the Parramatta Eels. The 34-year-old has agreed to a deal for 2026, with Parramatta holding an option for 2027. The contract is currently in the NRL’s 10-day cooling-off period.
De Belin, who has played 242 games, was close to becoming the most-capped Dragon in history. Despite being in talks for another contract extension, he will now reunite with former teammate Zac Lomax at the Eels. A mid-season switch before June 30 is unlikely due to the Dragons’ lack of forward depth.
A consistent performer, De Belin played every game last season and has not missed one this year. He is the last Dragons player remaining from the Wayne Bennett era.
His departure comes amid a broader roster overhaul at the Dragons. Tyrell Sloan, Blake Lawrie, and Mikaele Ravalawa may also leave, while several forwards, including David Klemmer and Michael Molo, are off-contract.
Replies
If Jack de belin can do the job of RCG at less than half the coin, why is everyone complaining. He's been the dragons best middle all season and he played well against the Eels recently.
The Eels already have two young middles in Sam Tuivaiti and Luca Moretti and a few coming through aswell. 1 year is fine for debelin and we hold the cards if he does well and deserves an extension.
Some of the complainers on here are over thinking everything
Exactly right having juniors is great but you need the right mix of experience and youth a one year deal on probably not a huge amount of coin seems like a win win very defensively solid middle capable of big minutes
we must be hard up for a signing, 34 and average at best, should of just upgraded a junior. If this is all the signings we can get we will never win the prize.
I like this, but it's starting to smell a lot like St.george in here.
That part is very true Randolph, I nearly made a similar comment, but I thought it would be a negative.
That said do Dragon's Den's smell? I remember it when it was the Taj Mahal......very white and pure. You can relate to that Randolph!
For me it's nothing to get excited about signing.
He offers bugger all with the pill but he's a great defender with really good technique.
Defense is what we need to be built on the middle of the ruck is still an issue.DeBellin is a short term solution for this issue.
Go get me a 6 another hooker and another backrower with URGENT ATHLETICISM and let's keep the ball rolling.
JDB prior to his stint on the sidelines was one of the best ball playing forwards in the game. For whatever reason St George has stopped using him that way since he came back and are predominantly using him as a basic prop. I get the feeling going off how I've seen us play is he wants our forwards to be moving the ball, constantly moving the ball and pushing up on each other, plenty of players in motion. I think maybe Ryles thinks he can squeeze a little pre hiatus JDB for a year or 2. I still think we need another depth bigger play 1 prop in our squad
thats why tayln is important buy for us.
Yep we need a play 1 prop because we only have Paulo for that. Tuivita is still developing and same with Mataele. Grieg is uselss these days so as you said need that depth play 1 prop.
Angry Eel, you are right, thinking back to when De Bellin was playing Origin and he did have considerable ball skills.
You know what else I was thinking, Huatoga and Tuilage are good forwards potentially who have this obvious weakness in defence with our middle opening up around them regularly. De Bellin may be just the man for them to model off in terms of their obvious defensive libilities. Improve their defence to the same standard and you get two elite edge forwards or even a middle in Tuilaga.
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