The Parramatta Eels have finally confirmed the signing of St George Illawarra Dragons forward Jack de Belin.
First reported some weeks ago, de Belin’s departure from the Dragons was confirmed by the joint-venture, but his addition to the blue and gold roster wasn’t.
That has now been taken care of, with the Eels locking him into their Top 30 for 2026, and adding an option in the club’s favour for 2027.
Parramatta, once the home of options in the player’s favour, have changed tact in recent seasons, with this being their second club option in as many years after locking former Canterbury Bulldogs and State of Origin winger Josh Addo-Carr in on one last year.
Jason Ryles, per the Eels’ media release, said de Belin would be a ‘valuable addition to the team, bringing experience to a young roster’.
The Dragons forward has played 245 NRL games since his debut way back in 2011 and would have been primed to become the Dragons’ games record holder before the end of his career if he had stayed at the club.
Despite being one of the club’s better forwards this season, the 34-year-old who admitted in a fan shot video after a recent game that it ‘broke his heart’ to be leaving the joint-venture, wasn’t retained by the club he has played his entire career for.
De Belin, who will turn 35 early in the 2026 season, has played three Origin matches for New South Wales, although that number likely would have inflated if not for an off-field issue which de-railed his career, while he has also played three Tests for Papua New Guinea in the last two years.
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