A try may be needed to decide finals matches in extra time if the NRL adopts an NFL rule in which the game continues for another set after a field goal to give the other team a chance to win or level the scores.
The NFL's overtime policy is one of a number of alternatives to golden point that were considered by the NRL competition committee last Friday and are on the agenda for Monday's meeting of head coaches.
The issue of how to decide a drawn match was discussed by the competition committee after criticism from Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett and others that this year's epic grand final should not have been decided by a field goal in extra time, but it was agreed that golden point should remain in place for regular season games.
However, there was debate about finals matches, with the committee looking at the model used in the NFL, which ensures both teams are given the opportunity to have the ball at least once in extra time unless the team that receives the kickoff scores a touchdown on its first possession.
The competition committee also discussed the National Hockey League model, in which the number of players on the ice is reduced from five per team to three per team during extra time.
NRL head of football Todd Greenberg said those options would be canvassed again at Monday's meeting but stressed that no recommendation would be made at this stage.
"The competition committee were very strong on golden point staying as it is for the regular season, so we are only talking about looking at it potentially for the finals and the grand final," Greenberg said.
"We gave the competition committee a whole heap of information about golden point, we sort of benchmarked ourselves compared to lots of other sports both here and abroad and it was good for us to analyse what other sports do.
"We looked at what the NFL do, and it would be like one of our teams catching the ball from the kickoff in golden point and kicking a field goal in that first set. The other team would get their right of reply but if the team scored a try off the first set the game would be over.
"There won't be any recommendation to the commission about golden point at this stage but it's good to see that we are exploring all the other options."
Another key item on the agenda is the shot clock to be introduced next season, and the length of time teams will have to form a scrum or take a goal line dropout.
A recommendation will be sent to the ARL Commission next month, which is expected to be 30 seconds for dropouts and 35 seconds for scrums.
The shot clock, which is being introduced in tandem with the reduction in the number of interchanges from 10 to eight to increase fatigue, was trialled in the round 26 Parramatta-Canberra match and Greenberg said the coaches would also discuss how to prevent time wasting by players.
"There will be a rule which will go to the commission in December for approval and we will take the coaches through it tomorrow to get their views on it," Greenberg said.
"The competition committee spent two hours on Friday pressure testing all of the information we gave them from the trials at the end of the season. We have got all the analysis we have done so there will be a fair bit of talk about that and the rules where players try to rort it and what we will do in return."
Also to be discussed will be ways to make the match review and judiciary system simpler, but fines for grade one offences are unlikely as the RLPA believes it would penalise players on minimum wages more than big-name stars.
The coaches will also receive a detailed analysis on the performance of NRL referees this season, including statistical data.
