Jack de Belin feared St George Illawarra teammate Talatau Amone would miss the entire season through the same no-fault stand-down rule he once challenged in the Federal Court, but says he now understands the NRL's need for the policy.
Amone made his NRL return in the Dragons' win over the Dolphins on Saturday, finding his groove at five-eighth after being charged with assault in the off-season.
The 20-year-old was initially stood down over the charges, which carry up to 14 years in jail.
However, his ban was lifted when his case was downgraded to the Local Court, reducing his maximum sentence to five years and putting it below the NRL's stand-down threshold.
De Belin remains the highest-profile case to be stood down under the no-fault policy, after he missed two-and-a-half years following sexual assault charges in late 2018.
The former NSW lock took the NRL to the Federal Court in 2019 and claimed the rule was unlawful, before the NRL successfully argued off-field issues had endangered their commercial interests.
De Belin returned to the game in June 2021, after he was acquitted on one count of sexual assault and four other related charges were dropped following two hung juries.
No trial date is yet set for Amone's case, and de Belin said he feared he too could have his career left in limbo.
"As soon as I saw he got the stand-down, I honestly didn't think he would be playing footy this year," de Belin said.
"You don't want to see anyone sitting on the sidelines when you have something sitting over your head.
"You have the presumption of innocence, so he obviously has that on his side.
"He is such a young kid, these are the most important years of his career. You don't want to be sitting it out over an accusation.
"But the NRL, they have to do what they have to do. They have to protect their brand. I understand that, it was the same with me. It's nothing personal."
De Belin said he had not spoken with Amone on how to handle being stood down, with the youngster already well supported.
"Junior was absolutely killing it at training, and he always came with a good attitude. That's all you can do," de Belin said.
"It was great for me to have routine.
"With the whole legal situation, you never know how long it will go for, there will always be bumps in the road.
"As soon as I wasn't able to train with first grade and was with reserve grade, I went and joined a jiu jitsu club and made sure I was busy.
"I was studying. You need that routine. You need purpose in your life because if you're doing nothing it can feel pretty empty."
De Belin is off contract this year, but has an option to extend at the Dragons until 2024.
He is yet to sign, but the 32-year-old is expected to do so with the forward adamant his best football is still ahead of him.
"I am still fresh, I pretty much missed three years of the game. I have always looked after my body," he said.
"The club has been loyal to me and I have been loyal to the club. It's a two-way street, and we have both been good to each other.
"I would like to think it continues on in the future."
