It does seem a strange one, as presumably a player would need to take, and pass, an array of physical tests for the position they play in, especially if the club is investing so much money in that player.

I believe you lose an interchange if you play anyone who wasn't named in the initial 21.

At the start of the year changes to the 21 man squad would result in the club losing an interchange in the fixture. When Covid hit that was scrapped to make it easier for the clubs.

You're supposed to only be able to make changes to the 21 with a doctor's note I believe. So for example you used to get teams naming a strong 21 the week before a cup final then swapping them all out for a weak side on the day. The fans then get annoyed because some may have saved themselves the trip if the team had been honest about who would play. Possibly a bit of a safeguard against betting scandals as well (e.g Long and Gleeson in that exact situation). You could argue they can get themselves a doctor's note if they need one of course but I doubt a doctor would risk his/her licence by issuing 10 on the same day.

Thanks MadDogg & Grimmy.

So, in essence, there is no point at the moment in naming your squad so early and no penalty if you make changes. Makes you wonder why they still go through this charade!

Like I said, it still gives fans, opposition and betting companies a fair idea who is going to play due to the doctor's note requirement for any changes. A doctor would come under scrutiny if he/she wrote a load at once at a convenient time. This week is a good example, we can see already that we will have a different looking set of forwards as there is no Havard, Bullock or G.Burgess in the squad.