With the off-seasis on comes the usual troupes.
Talk of expansion, the divisions talk, player movements and of course post-season rankings.
Today we're here to focus on the rankings. More specifically, the NRL bench specialists and their rankings from 2023.
Please keep in mind that these rankings are based only on 2023.
To qualify, a player must have played off the bench on a majority of appearances. They also cannot appear anywhere else in the rankings. i.e. Cam McInnes ranked in the top locks and thus won't be seen here.
Before we start, I'm going to take a moment to answer some of the usual questions to appear in the comments to any sort of rankings.
Do I even watch football? Yes, every game.
Are my eyes painted on? No. That would be funny though.
Who am I? Just a fan.
With that said, below are the top ten NRL bench specialists based purely and totally on 2023:
Honourable mentions: Wiremu Greig, Bronson Garlick, Emre Guler
1. Spencer Leniu
There is a reason the Roosters went out and spent big money to recruit the Panther and Samoan wrecking ball.
He could very easily start across a number of NRL clubs but truthfully his efforts off the bench proved such a huge advantage to the Panthers.
Across his 21 games for Penrith in 2023 he averaged over 90 metres, which included eight performances over 100, had 42 tackle breaks and tackled at almost 93%.
He will play a larger role for the Roosters which I'm almost certain will lead to regular gigs for the Blues at Origin level.
Interesting, Dan
I’d have liked to see when each of these guys comes off contract.
I could look it up, but I’m just lazy !