Wayne Bennett, Craig Bellamy and Ricky Stuart to discuss bunker, sin-bins and kick-off rule

Wayne Bennett, Craig Bellamy and Ricky Stuart are among the big-name coaches who will meet with the NRL on Tuesday to discuss several hot topics including the role of the bunker, what constitutes a sin-binning, and potentially changing the kick-off rule.

The trio, along with Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon and Penrith’s four-time premiership winner Ivan Cleary, will be asked for their opinions in the hope they can help the NRL make any relevant changes moving forward.

It was at a similar meeting last year that the NRL and coaches landed on the “common sense” approach to the obstruction rule, which led to referees waving away the claims of defenders trying to milk penalties.

Sources with knowledge of the meeting not authorised to speak publicly confirmed the coaches will debate the role of the bunker – specifically, what bunker officials should be allowed rule on and when they become involved.

The question of high tackles, when they deserve a sin-binning and mitigating circumstances will be discussed, with Reece Walsh’s high shot on Melbourne’s Xavier Coates in the grand final – and the fact he stayed on the field – a prime example that left stakeholders confused.

South Sydney’s Bennett supports changing the kick-off rule, which was first raised by this masthead last month.

The NRL had planned to ask clubs if there was an appetite to change the kick-off rule so that the scoring team takes the kick-off to restart play, rather than receive the ball again. Should enough coaches be in favour, there is every chance the proposal will be taken to the ARL Commission, and rubber-stamped in time for the 2026 season.

Canterbury supremo Phil Gould was firmly against changing the rule, posting on X: “Whoever it was that regurgitated the concept of the scoring team kicking off in the NRL should be publicly whipped. Please … they tried this rubbish years ago, and it was a disaster.”