After two and a half years out of professional sport Jack de Belin made a successful return to rugby league off the bench via the Dragons NSW Cup team on Saturday, playing around half the match.
The game also marked the return of boom youngster Jayden Sullivan. Jayden has barely played in 2021 due to chronic hamstring injuries, but he got through the game uninjured.
It’s certainly been an up-and-down season so far for the Dragons. Up after Round 5, thumping the Eels and sitting in fourth place, they’re now down after Round 12 rounds sitting mid-table after a very poor performance against the Tigers.
Anyone who was hoping De Belin would immediately come in and save the Dragons season like a knight in shining armour needs to think again. Even though De Belin is an elite athlete, it will take some time for him to get his groove back. It’s not called first grade for no reason.
Also, when asked about the possibility of a quick return, coach Anthony Griffin bristled and snapped that De Belin was the furthest thing from his mind.
It was an interesting statement by Griffin given that his team has lost six from their past seven matches. I would have thought he’d be considering all his options.
While the Dragons’ form of late has been enough to drive me to the brink, there’s still hope. The Dragons have a pretty soft draw from here and are unlikely to contribute any players to State of Origin, so it’s quite possible they will be able to sneak a few victories in pursuit of the finals.
In the four weeks leading to the bye the Dragons will play the Broncos, Bulldogs, Raiders and Warriors, which are all winnable games. If Griffin can conjure up three or four wins, his side will be back in the top eight.
Excluding any further injuries or suspensions, the Dragons should be back to full strength, including De Belin, after the Round 17 bye and might be able to come home with a wet sail.
We’ll see what happens. The next month will test coach Griffin and tell us a lot about his coaching abilities. Josh Kerr and Mikaele Ravalawa are both back from suspension next week, which should help. But a one-from-seven skid has every Dragons fan I know very concerned.
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