The man acquitted of murdering his brother-in-law has been named forward of the year for the Belfast classic rugby side.

Ewen Macdonald was "bloody handy", his coach Richard Humm said yesterday.

"[He] doesn't take a backward step, gets stuck in," he said.

Scott Guy, Macdonald's brother-in-law, was found dead after being shot on the driveway of his Feilding, Manawatu, farm in the early hours of July 8, 2010.

Macdonald was found not guilty of the murder in 2012.

He was released from Rolleston Prison in November 2015 after serving five years for arson, vandalising Guy's home, and stealing and killing stock in Feilding. He was originally subject to strict conditions for the first six months after his release - including GPS monitoring, banning him from the North Island and stating he could not possess, own or use firearms, ammunition or restricted weapons.

Macdonald was denied parole four times, before being released six months before serving his full sentence.

Humm did not want to comment further on Macdonald's involvement in the team saying there are "40 players in the team".

The sister of Scott Guy's widow Kylie, Chanelle Bullock, wrote on the Lets do it for Scotty Tribute page on Facebook that his Macdonald's parole was "the day that we wish never would happen".

"I know what it looks like but I'm not that psycho," Macdonald told detectives during questioning.