Jayden Sullivan, a versatile halfback for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, has voiced his concerns regarding the NRL's six-man bench rule, describing his predicament as "s**t."
Having progressed from the Dragons junior ranks, Sullivan is now finding his footing in the NRL with the Rabbitohs, though he has been named as a reserve on six occasions this season, highlighting the challenges of his multifaceted skills.
Throughout ten NRL appearances, Sullivan has been included on the bench in eight games, which has resulted in six games where he played a full 80 minutes without any action, alongside another five matches with less than 20 minutes of game time.
This has amounted to a total of just 292 minutes of play at the NRL level this season, in addition to seven appearances in the NSW Cup.
This situation reflects the concerns raised by many players and analysts before the season began when the new rules were introduced, with Sullivan arguably feeling the impact more than others.
During a media session on Monday, he expressed his eagerness to participate in NRL matches while acknowledging that the limited opportunities were far from ideal.
"Unfortunately, it's a s*** position to be in, because I still want to be in that first-grade team, whether that's being on the bench," Sullivan remarked.
"(But) I haven't really been a big fan of the six-man bench."
"It's frustrating because I've been healthy all year and haven't really been playing much footy."