WOLLONGONG, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 13: Jack De Belin of the Dragons celebrates victory during the round six NRL match between the St George Illawarra Dragons and the Cronulla Sharks at WIN Stadium on April 13, 2018 in Wollongong, Australia. (Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)
New evidence has emerged in Jack de Belin's court case against the NRL, with the playing future of the 28-year-old set to be decided next week at the Federal Court.
According to The Herald, de Belin's lawyers have demanded the NRL's Net Promoter Score (NPS), seeking to see the NPS figures between November 2017 to March 2018, as well as from November 2018 to March 2019.
de Belin was stood down by his club St George Illawarra after being charged with sexual assault following an incident in December last year. The decision came following the NRL's new no-fault stand down policy, which will be questioned at the hearing as well. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is fighting to continue his career while facing his charges in court.
The NPS is used within the NRL as a measurement to indicate the relationship between the competition and its fans, as well as the general health of the league.
The Dragon forward's legal team are seeking the NPS in order to determine the effect that the incident has had on the competition and whether there is merit in his suspension.
They have also subpoenaed information regarding St George's revenue streams, attempting to show that the club hasn't been affected from a financial perspective as a result of the court case.
The legal proceedings are set to place the spotlight firmly on multiple players under-fire within the competition, with Manly's Dylan Walker and Penrith's Tyrone May also currently banned, following a spate of controversial incidents involving NRL players in the off-season.