Jack de Belin is caught up in St George Illawarra's Covid-19 breach after it emerged he also attended Paul Vaughan's Saturday night barbecue.
The NRL is investigating Vaughan's house party after NSW Police issued $1,000 fines the 13 players and Vaughan's wife Ellie for breaching stay-at-home orders.
De Belin was not initially included on the list of players but it was confirmed on Monday that the former NSW State of Origin lock also visited Vaughan's Shellharbour home.
Police were called due to a noise complaint and issued fines to everyone there, including Corey Norman, Zac Lomax, Josh McGuire, Jack Bird, Kaide Ellis, Blake Lawrie, Matt Dufty, Daniel Alvaro, Tyrell Fuimaono, Gerard Beale, and Josh Kerr.
Jack de Belin (pictured with his fiancée Alyce Taylor and two kids) is caught up in St George Illawarra's Covid-19 breach after it emerged he also attended Paul Vaughan's Saturday night barbecue
Paul Vaughan with his wife Elle were accused of hosting a barbecue with 12 Dragons teammates on Saturday
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian criticised the players, claiming they jeopardised the rest of the state which is trying to get out of lockdown.
But it will be de Belin's attendance that now raises the most eyebrows.
The 30-year-old is only four games back from missing two-and-a-half years of football as part of the NRL's no-fault stand-down policy while fighting sexual assault charges.
His case was subsequently dropped after two hung juries, with de Belin able to resume his NRL career.
Questions will now be asked as to why his name was not raised in early investigations and if there was an attempt to cover up his attendance.
The NRL is working on how to sanction the players and playing bans remain an option.
Even if the league's integrity unit does not sideline the group, there is some chance the club could still come down hard.
They would still have the numbers to field a side in their next match against Manly in round 18, but it would be significantly weakened and will be played just two days after Tariq Sims and Ben Hunt run out in State of Origin 3.
St George Illawarra star Paul Vaughan and his wife Elle have been issued with $1,000 fines after allegedly holding a house party at their Shellharbour home
Dragons players were slammed as 'selfish and stupid' by furious NRL officials, but former star player Beau Ryan stood up for the team on Monday morning, claiming they simply 'made a mistake'.
'Look, I can see both sides here because the NRL players are in a bubble,' he told Studio 10's Angela Bishop.
'They’re in their own little world, they're all isolating together, they played a game four hours earlier.'
'They're on buses together, they're on the field together, they're training. So they've gone back to a player's house and they've had a barbecue.'
The NRL's Covid bubble keeps players under strict lockdown to ensure no one becomes infected and stops games being played.
Ryan said the issue was that prying neighbours likely saw the party and felt frustrated at the players for flouting the rules.
Beau Ryan (pictured with his partner) used to play for the Sharks and the Wests Tigers
All residents of Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Wollongong, Shellharbour and the Central Coast and are banned from visiting friends' homes until Covid restrictions end on July 9.
While Ryan said the fines were not enough of a punishment, he explained the 14 men are unlikely to be suspended because the NRL only has access to 30 players in the sport's Covid bubble.
'If you suspend the players, then they're at risk of not fielding a team the next week. If they don't field a team, there's not enough games and they don't get the TV rights money,' he said.
He explained the situation has left NRL officials 'scratching their heads' wondering how to penalise properly, and guessed at 'big financial penalties' by the NRL.
'I think the big problem here for the Dragons is they're going to be deducted points... because they've put the whole game at risk.'
Co-host Tristan MacManus (pictured with Angela Bishop) piped up and asked if the situation would have been handled differently if the party had been held in the sports club
But co-host Tristan MacManus piped up and asked if the situation would have been handled differently if the party had been held in the sports club and after Saturday's game, rather than at Vaughan's home.
'Would the club have said "sorry guys, we can't have a party here, because lockdown"?' he asked.
'I understand the bubble thing and I can see it from both sides, but I have a kid who couldn't have their birthday party for the same reasons.
'There's too many things that stink of hypocrisy. I don't have anything against this team but there should be suspensions - the club should be hit hard.'
Ryan said 'it's going to happen', but
