NRL rosters are now so evenly matched, and deep, that games are often won by the team with the more impactful bench.
Injuries effected every club in 2024, as is unfortunately the way each and every year, and again we saw plenty of games won by utility players in a next man up role.
Today we celebrate those players.
This is going to be the hardest list to rank as each player below plays a different role.
Just some housekeeping, for a player to qualify they must have been used off the bench more often than not, or used in multiple roles.
Example: Connor Tracey is often referred to as a utility but played almost of all his games this season at fullback. He is therefore not considered.
Blaize Talagi, Lehi Hopoate and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck also don't qualify as they were all first choice backline players at some stage.
If you're looking for Terrell May, he was named in the top ten props so I have left him off this list.
Below are the top 10 utilities and/or bench specialists from the 2024 season:
Honourable Mention: Naufahu Whyte
8. Jack Williams
The Eels bound middle tied on a bow on his Sharks tenure with a brilliant 2024 season.
As a Sharks fan I will never forget how quickly he turned that game against Canberra. He was 100% responsible for shifting momentum and leading his side to overturning an 18-point deficit.
His round 23 performance against the Storm saw him run for 218 metres. It was one of the individual efforts of the season.
Averaging almost 100 metres and being able to play prop, lock or second row, he will be an invaluable addition to the Eels in 2025.
