The forward's long journey back to the representative arena will commence on Saturday when he lines up for the Dragons in their NSW Cup clash with Western Suburbs at Lidcombe Oval.

It's a far cry from the 48,188 fans who watched St George Illawarra fall to South Sydney in de Belin's last game of NRL football in 2018.

Read more: Dragons have always kept the faith in Jack de Belin, now he must repay it

The Dragons will take a cautious approach with the lock's return to the top flight, a call-up for next Thursday's clash with Brisbane unlikely.

With de Belin 30 and back from a two-and-a-half-year absence, there are concerns his best is behind him.

It's a sentiment Alexander disagrees with, the respected commentator confident de Belin can climb to the heights he reached in 2018.

"A lot's gone on in the last two-and-a-bit seasons since Jack's played," Alexander said. "I can only comment on what player he was before he stopped playing and he was one of the best middle players in the game.

"I don't think age will have any bearing on his ability to get to that sort of form."

The game has changed considerably since de Belin last played.

The six-again rule was introduced last season and further expanded this year, two referees have become one and captain's challenges were introduced.

While it will likely take time for de Belin to adapt to the increased pace of the sport, Alexander tipped the forward to thrive once he settles in.

"Jack was a good 13, a good ball-playing 13. I don't think the new rules will have any negative impact on how Jack fares when he does come back,'' he said.

"He was a good ball player then, ball-playing locks aren't going anywhere, if anything their value has increased. If they can be clever with the ball around the ruck, it's a bonus to the team.

"He's always been a good defender, generally a low defender, so that might suit him. The new rules might suit Jack."

Paul McGregor agrees with Alexander, the former Dragons coach confident de Belin will benefit from the NRL's recent high-tackle crackdown.

"He hasn't played for two-and-a-half years, so he might be a little bit rough when he starts off," McGregor said.

"The new rules help Jack. His tackle technique is through the middle, his timing might be a little bit off initially, but he's a mid-section tackler so won't have any problems with the high-tackle crackdown."

Despite being stood down by the NRL, de Belin continued to train with the Dragons' top squad throughout McGregor's time in charge.

The forward would repeatedly top the charts in fitness testing and has spent the past two months working closely with the club's high-performance staff to ensure he was ready if, and when, the stand down ended.

"The last time I saw Jack, he was still fitter than 90 per cent of other people," McGregor said. "It's just whether the time off has taken away from his instincts and mental capacity to take himself to a level where others can't. What made Jack so special was he could push himself to places where he was comfortable being uncomfortable in games.

"It might take a bit of time for him to get back but you don't lose your ability to play."