De Belin and co-accused Callan Sinclair have pleaded not guilty to five charges stemming from an alleged sexual assault of a then 19-year-old woman in a Wollongong apartment in December 2018. Both have denied the allegations, stating the sexual activity was consensual.

The jury first retired for deliberations on Thursday last week, after hearing nearly four weeks of evidence, but did not reach a verdict by that afternoon. They returned on Monday and still could not reach a unanimous verdict. The 12-person jury was also unable to return an 11-1 majority verdict and were ultimately discharged by Judge Andrew Haesler.

Read more: 'Extremely disappointed': Callan Sinclair vows to fight on after hung jury in rape trial

The matter will return to Wollongong Court on Wednesday with the pair, who remain on bail, facing the possibility of a retrial - with the earliest possible date in August next year should the case be re-heard in Wollongong. It leaves de Belin facing a possible third straight season on the sidelines.

In a brief statement released on Monday night, NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said de Belin - whose NRL contract with the Dragons expired on November 1 - will remain stood down under its no-fault policy.

"The National Rugby League (NRL) today confirmed St George Illawarra Dragons player Jack de Belin will remain subject to a No-Fault Stand Down after the jury in his criminal trial was discharged after being unable to reach a verdict," Abdo said.

"The No-Fault Stand Down rule is not about forming a view on the guilt or innocence of an individual, it is about protecting the values and reputation of the game while a serious criminal process is underway.

"Mr de Belin will remain subject to the no-fault stand down rule until his criminal proceedings have been determined by the Court."

De Belin has missed the last two NRL seasons after being stood down by the NRL in February 2019, the first player subjected to the controversial no-fault stand-down policy adopted by the ARL Commission, then chaired by Peter Beattie.

The policy dictates that a player charged with a serious offence that carries a maximum sentence of 11 years or more will be automatically stood down until legal proceedings are completed.

Despite being barred from playing under the policy, the 29-year-old remained on the Dragons books, and salary cap, on full pay - in the vicinity of $600,000 a year - while awaiting the outcome of the case, a contract that expired last month.

Despite the matter hanging over him, de Belin had no shortage of clubs interested in his services for 2021 subject to a not-guilty verdict, with the Warriors making a big-money offer contingent on the outcome of the trial

De Belin instead reached an in-principle agreement to remain with the Dragons for the next three years had he been found not guilty, but that deal has been thrown into doubt following Monday's developments, with the club only offering a brief statement.

"The Jack de Belin court matter did not reach a verdict as a result of a hung jury in Wollongong [District] Court on Monday," the statement read.

"The consequential next steps concerning the matter are yet to be established. De Belin remains subject to the NRL's no-fault stand down policy. The Dragons will continue to provide the necessary welfare support to de Belin and his family."

The no-fault policy has been hotly debated as the matter became a two-year saga, but ARLC chairman Peter V'landys - who was a member of the commission when the policy was enacted - and CEO Andrew Abdo both stated the policy was here to stay prior to Monday's outcome.

De Belin launched a Federal Court challenge to the policy after he was stood down, claiming it was "an unlawful restraint of trade" with the court ruling in favour of the NRL, with costs, in May 2019.

De Belin initially appealed the decision but abandoned the action after being given an initial trial date on February last year. Matters were then delayed by the COVID pandemic and pre-trial legal argument before the trial finally began on November 3.