NRL star Jack de Belin rape trial delayed

Legal argument has delayed the start of the rape trial of St George Illawarra NRL star Jack de Belin.

De Bellin and his co-accused, Callan Sinclair, formally pleaded not guilty to five counts of aggravated sexual assault in Wollongong District Court on Monday.

Their trial was then expected to begin but it was delayed by legal argument.

De Belin and Sinclair are accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman at a Wollongong unit in December 2018.

The trial before Judge Andrew Haesler is expected to last a fortnight.

De Belin was stood down by the NRL after he was charged more than 12 months ago.

His case was a major driver in NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg and then ARL Commission chairman Peter Beattie introducing the game's "no-fault" stand-down policy.

De Belin became the first player to be sidelined under the rule which allows the game to stand aside players facing serious criminal charges.

At the time, de Belin had earned a reputation as one of the game's premier back-rowers.

He'd made his NSW State of Origin debut in 2018 and was being touted as a future Australian representative.

His Federal Court challenge against the NRL and ARL Commission was dismissed in May 2019 by Justice Melissa Perry.

De Belin, 28, has been allowed to train with his teammates while he awaits trial.

If found not guilty, he will likely be allowed to return to the field in time for the Dragons' NRL pre-season trial against Newcastle in Maitland on February 22.