A recommendation from the NRL’s most successful coaches to expand the number of bench players could add tactical intrigue to a game trapped in a straitjacket of left- and right-side regimentation, while also improving safety standards.

A meeting on December 2 of premiership coaches Wayne Bennett, Craig Bellamy, Ricky Stuart, Ivan Cleary and Michael Maguire, as well as Sharks boss Craig Fitzgibbon, was united in supporting an increase in the NRL game day squad to as many as 21, potentially doubling the size of the bench.

Adam Reynolds looks on from the bench after being injured in the grand final. Brisbane were lucky to hang on with a reshuffled backline.Credit: Getty Images

However, the existing limit of eight interchanges and four replacements would remain. In other words, a coach would have a choice of up to eight players on the bench, but can only use four.

The problem faced by coaches in an increasingly brutal and fast game is not the number of interchanges, but the number of fit players near the end of the 80 minutes.

This is exacerbated by the NRL’s relentless desire to increase the amount of time the ball is in play.

Most games finish with coaches using seven of their eight interchanges, but often with a bench decimated by injury.

The ARL Commission will vote on the proposal on Wednesday, with a squad of 19 or 20 the most likely option discussed. Clubs are presently permitted to add an 18th man to the bench, but he rarely plays as their use is restricted to acts of foul play that force a teammate out of the game or........

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