Embattled St George Illawarra star Jack de Belin has been omitted from Saturday's NRL trial against South Sydney due to welfare concerns.
The decision comes just two days before the ARL Commission is widely tipped to approve the standing down of players when they face serious court matters.
De Belin was charged with sexual assault in December following an alleged incident involving a 19-year-old woman in Wollongong.
ARLC chairman Peter Beattie has already declared the time has come to change the league's policy over players facing criminal charges.
De Belin is the first high-profile player to be "rested" by the club while facing criminal matters since Shaun Kenny-Dowall faced domestic violence-related charges in July 2015.
Kenny-Dowall missed seven games for the Sydney Roosters that season, also due to welfare issues, but returned in time for their finals campaign.
He was acquitted of all 11 charges the following February.
Kenny-Dowall, who is now with the Newcastle Knights, was reluctant to discuss that period of his life but suggested the game had entered into a new era.
"It's a different climate, a different time in the game," he told AAP on Tuesday.
"I think we're evolving as a game and as a society. We just all have to adapt to the times and take accountability and responsibility for our own