De Belin pulls out of selection

JACK de Belin will not be included in the Papua New Guinea squad for next Saturday’s Test match against Fiji, but new Kumuls coach Stanley Tepend is hopeful that the St George Illawarra Dragons lock will accept a call-up later in the year.
Tepend and his predecessor Michael Marum have held discussions with the former New South Wales Origin forward about representing his grandmother’s birth nation over the last 12 months.
De Belin only returned to Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) last year and has not played representative football since 2018, with the 31-year-old ruling himself out of Kumuls selection for the Sydney clash.
“We have spoken to Jack and he was undecided,” Tepend said.
“We respect his decision. While we haven’t picked him for this Test, we have left the door open for him to make a call when he is ready.
“If he wants to play in the World Cup later this year, we will happily accommodate him. It’s a short camp and we won’t have any players from our domestic competition or the Super League.”
Tepend has also opted to leave experienced hooker James Segeyaro out of his squad after he resumed his playing career in the New South Wales Cup earlier this year following a drugs ban.
“He offers a lot, but hasn’t been playing over the last couple of years,” the former Lae Tigers coach said. “It’s not to say that he is totally out (of the picture).
“Hopefully, he can be in our squad at the back end of the season.”
Tepend’s squad will primarily be filled by SP Hunters and NRL players. Brisbane’s David Mead is expected to play centre alongside Melbourne’s Justin Olam, with the pair set to be named as Tepend’s captain and vice-captain respectively.
Canterbury’s Bailey Biondi-Odo is due to make his PNG debut in the halves alongside Sydney Roosters playmaker Lachlan Lam, with South Sydney winger Alex Johnston seen as the Kumuls fullback.
– AAP