Dragons lock Jack de Belin is set to face court on April 12 following a hung jury in his rape trial at a Wollongong court this week, perย Fox Sports.
de Belin and Callan Sinclair have both been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in December 2018, with the pair denying the charges.
After much deliberation, the jury was unable to reach a verdict and the case has now been moved to Sydney.
de Belin was facing a lengthy wait until August for a retrial before the case was moved to Sydney, fast-tracking the proceedings.
Newly appointed St George Illawarra coach Anthony Griffin told Fox Sportsย de Belin still stands a strong chance to line up in the Red V.
โHe hasnโt played for two years, the advantage is heโs trained very hard, and has done a lot of opposed sessions,โ Griffin told foxsports.com.au.
โNothing replaces a game. Heโs injury free and heโs as fit as he can be without playing.
The NRL confirmed this week that de Belin would remain stood down until a verdict was reached.
โThe no-fault stand down rule is not about forming a view on the guilt or innocence of an individual, it is about protecting the values and reputation of the game while a serious criminal process is underway,โ said NRL CEO Andrew Abdo.
โMr de Belin will remain subject to the no-fault stand down rule until his criminal proceedings have been determined by the court.โ
