De Belin fired up for first World Cup

Papua New Guinea Kumuls Jack de Belin is prepared to make his Rugby League World Cup debut this Saturday against Lebanon at the Santos National Football Stadium.

This marks his fourth year wearing the red black and gold.

Just like all others that have come and gone in the past, including those in the present, the former New South Wales Blues prop is honored to represent his PNG Heritage.

The Kumul #314 is not new to the scene of playing in front of a passionate home crowd, however, this year marks a special phase as he runs out to play his first Rugby League World Cup.

The 35-year- old has a special connection to PNG through his grandmother with his dad born in East New Britain.

De Belin made his PNG Kumuls debut against Cook Islands in the 2023 edition of the Pacific Championships in Port Moresby.

“This is my fourth year (with the Kumuls), I joined just after the previous World Cup,” he said.

“It's been awesome, I've loved the footy team, the culture and the country. Being welcomed with open arms to play footy here is special.”

“I get to represent my dad and my family in this World Cup.”

Making 270 appearances in NRL, De Belin recently concluded his season with the Parramatta Eels after making 18 appearances since his move from St. George Illawarra Dragons (252 appearances).

Since coming into Kumuls camp, the main focus is remaining positive ahead of their opening fixture.

With less than two-days to go before their first fixture, De Belin said team preparations has been great having fair mixtures of the players who recently concluded their season in the NRL, Queensland Cup and the Super League competitions overseas.

“It's all about being positive and keeping up with the young boys, who are really proactive. The squad inside JD's (Jason Demetriou) pick is awesome.”

“There's a lot of local talent from Q-Cup and NRL including players from the Super League. We’ve got a wide variety and we’re ready to go.”

He is also joined by Parramatta Eels team mate Luca Moretti who is set to make his Kumuls debut.

Meanwhile the Lebanese Cedars will be led by West Tigers Prop Alex Twal during their round one clash in PNG.