Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens believes the ARL Commission should look at giving teams the option of using an 18th man when they’re robbed of a player due to foul play.

The Tigers were left with just 15 fit players for more than half of Friday night’s 18-14 NRL loss to Brisbane, with Matt Groat heavily concussed by a shoulder charge that resulted in Ben Te’o being placed on report.

That injury was compounded by a broken hand to Chris Heighington, with Sheens adamant the league needed to look into compensating teams during the course of the match when foul play is involved.

“I’m not going to predict whether they’ll cite him or not, I imagine they will. If he does miss games it will be the team next week that gets the advantage from that, not us tonight,” Sheens said.

“The free interchange is a start, but you’re still playing with 15 men.”

“That’s not the first time that’s happened – a guys gone on report, been suspended, and the guy he hits can’t come back out.

“It’s something that probably has to be looked at by the game.

“I think the extra man’s a good start.”

Broncos coach Anthony Griffin didn’t think there was anything malicious in what Te’o did.

“It’s a contact sport … it’s a shoulder charge, all of a sudden they’re illegal,” Griffin said.

“It’s a collision sport, he’s not trying to attack the head of the guy.

“If he hadn’t stunned the guy that well and he had got up and played the ball it would have been play on.

“If it’s going to be like that, they’ve just got to ban shoulder charges – be like rugby union.

“I don’t know if I want to get like rugby union.”