The Parramatta Eels have moved to add some starch to their pack, signing Dragons forward Jack de Belin on a two-year deal from next season.
De Belin informed the Dragons on Wednesday of his decision to link with Jason Ryles and the Eels from next year.
The Eels have offered De Belin a contract for next year, which also includes a club option for the following season. It is believed to be worth around $350,000 a season.
It is unclear whether the Dragons are prepared to release him this year before the June 30 transfer deadline. The Eels have the salary cap space to accommodate his immediate arrival.
The deal won’t be announced for another fortnight with the Eels waiting for the 10-day cooling-off period to end. The Dragons take on the Eels this weekend.
Ryles has been chasing some experience to help some of the impressive young players at the club following the departure of Clint Gutherson, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Shaun Lane and Joe Ofahengaue over the past 12 months.
Jack de Belin will play for Parramatta next year.Credit: NRL Photos
The Eels did their homework on De Belin, including reference checks about his character to allay any potential concerns at board level.
The club was comfortable that De Belin would provide a positive impact on the playing group both on the field and at training with his standards and expectations of performance.
The Eels are also in the market for rising Wests Tigers hooker Tallyn Da Silva, who has attracted the attention of Manly, Newcastle and the Cowboys.
Ryles also has a position to fill in the halves, with Dylan Brown departing at season’s end to join Newcastle on a 10-year deal. Ryles has been impressed with young gun Joash Papalii, with the club moving to extend his deal.
De Belin, 34, has been at the Dragons his whole career. He was stood down under the NRL’s no-fault policy for three years as he fought sexual assault charges, which were later dropped, and returned to the NRL in 2021. He has played 88 games in the NRL since then.
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