The NRL is reportedly weighing up the return of the five-minute sin bin for the 2024 season.
Sin bins have hit record highs in recent seasons as the competition cracks down on foul play, and it has led to plenty of discussion over a shortening to the length of time a player spends off the park.
The five-minute sin bin hasn't been used since 1991, but The Daily Telegraph is now reporting that club officials have been asked for feedback on the way the game is policed when it comes to foul play.
Impacts of the sin bin have been clear to see, and while teams are far improved at defending with 12 players than they once may have been, it's still a sore point for many fans who believe a ten-minute period off the park ruins the game as a spectacle.
The report suggests that while club feedback will dictate the way forward, the NRL may well push to have the sin bin period shortened, while replacement players for those in the bin for a full ten minutes will also considered.
It's understood that it would likely be only allowed if the team has an interchange left, with the offending team able to then keep 13 players on the park during that ten-minute period.
What is unclear is how the NRL will dictate between what constitutes a five-minute and ten-minute period in the sin bin for an act of foul play.
The NRL's head of football Graham Annesley confirmed to the publication that a review with all stakeholders into the 2023 season is underway, with other rule changes potentially believed to be in the mix.
Annesley previously was quoted during his Monday footy briefing after the first weekend of the finals confirming that a review on whether the bunker may be able to call on forward passes will be included in the feedback sought from clubs.
Head injury assessment rules, the judiciary system, and the use of the bunker more broadly are also expected to be topics of conversation in the coming months, with any changes to the rule book expected to be formalised by the end of January.
