St George Illawarra Dragons prop Jack de Belin is excited to by the prospect of playing his 50th milestone match against the Parramatta Eels at Pirtek Stadium, Parramatta on Saturday.
The Cootamundra Bulldogs junior has been named on the interchange for the upcoming clash and is keen to make amends for the team’s recent poor form on the field.
De Belin, 23, made his debut midway through the 2011 campaign against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and is thankful to have notched a half-century of games.
Yet he maintains the fixture is about the team performing well heading into the first of two bye rounds then any individual accolade.
“The time has gone very quickly, 50 games is a massive achievement. I’d love to play another two hundred games for the mighty Red V,” said de Belin.
“To graduate through the NYC Dragons and step up into first grade is a very proud moment for me.
“I just have to keep ticking along and who knows, maybe down the track there will be a few rep jersey’s.
“It’s an honour to play in the Women in League round, it’s definitely a memorable game for me when I debuted all those years back.
“I still remember when Wayne said to me I will be playing.
“Personally, I didn’t think I was ready but he showed a lot of faith in me.
“I was so nervous, I didn’t eat the day before the game.
“It was a very exciting moment for me and I was proud to have played in the NRL.
“Even though it is a milestone game for me, every game in the NRL is a big game, especially for us, after last week, it was such a disappointing loss.
“I know and the team know that we definitely need to step up, especially in the middle, to show what we’re really capable of.
“It is an important game for us, we definitely need a win, especially leading into that Bye round.”
