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
7. Jack Williams
Jack Williams is one of the game's most underrated forwards. He was in Cronulla's top two forward this year, behind only the magnificent Briton Nikora.
Each of his 24 games this season came from the bench. His role actually increased as the season went on and there must have been a thought to start him.
In those 24 games he made five line breaks, crossed for a pair of tries, ran for 96 metres per game and tackled at 93.5%.
The Sharks had some issues in the middle in 2023 but Jack Williams certainly wasn't one of those. He was massive!
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 !