It’s time for rugby league to act professional. The introduction of a ‘shot clock’ for scrums and drops out is further example of a professional sport in name, but not action.
Teams will have 35 seconds to pack a scrum and 30 seconds for a drop out.
If administrators are serious about time wasting and maximising the actual league that is played, they need to stop the clock at breaks in the game.
On average, when a try is scored until the restart of play, 90 seconds disappear.
For scrums and drop outs its around 30 seconds.
Throw in penalties, captains talking to referees and a few tactical time wasting plays and the result is too much time wasting in league.
The simple solution would be – when the ball is not in play or a try is scored or penalty goal being taken – to stop the clock.
However if you stop the clock and keep halves at 40 minutes, matches will go too long. So here is more simplicity, reduce the minutes halves go for.
If tries take 90 seconds, and there are four tries in a half, thats 6 minutes. Scrums, drop outs, penalty shots for goal and you have about 4 minutes of nothingness. So 30 minute halves is the obvious number.
At least this way, you will get about the same amount of league in a match without the time-wasting tactics.
Fans would also get more for their money, with a plenty of action. It would also re-introduce fatigue as a factor and allow some of league’s more crafty, smaller players to shine like they did in the past.
What do you think, Roarers? Time to stop the clock?
Adam Bishop
Roar Pro
I think time wasting is an issue but I don't see scoring a try as a time wasting tactic. I would like to see30 second shot clocks for drop outs, conversions, kick offs, scrum feeds etc. All of the areas where we leak time and the viewer gets no reward for it.
Rodney Olsen
Guest
Geoff Evans, love it, straight to the point.
Geoff Evans
Guest
I am all for stopping the clock for scrums and dropouts and kicks at goal but not for reducing the 40 minutes for each half. Fine the players or clubs big time if they go over the time allocated and dont take time out for minor injuries like cramp or sore arms or shoulders. The trainers are there to deal with this type of injury. if it is near the play the ball or scrum, take the play the ball or the scrum to the side like they used to do back in the days of proper rugby league when players were not sooks or cheats.
Birdy
Guest
Ahh , for the simple life. Bring back the old man , the stop watch and the bell.
fiddlesticks
Guest
yep, thats the beardan for you. no sense at all
fiddlesticks
Guest
you haven't, this is your normal behavior. perhaps some lessons for you this christmas?
Karlos
Guest
Agreed
Beardan
Roar Guru
Ive got a feeling youve had a big Christmas and are still recovering
daniel p
Guest
If that's your answer then the simplest option would be to stop any rule changes, certainly not ridiculous suggestions like this ever being introduced.
William Dalton Davis
Roar Rookie
Wait so you want RL to be more professional but would prefer they not utilise modern technology to limit human error? Contradict much?
Beardan
Roar Guru
Id also scrap the video ref. Human error is part of sport. As an Everton fan i thought the referee was wrong giving Stoke a last minute penalty. But bad luck, these things happen. Next time everton may get the penalty. The interference from video referees is embarrassing.
Beardan
Roar Guru
Its hardly complicated stopping the clock when its dead and restarting it when its alive. Zero complications. Im sure league will eventually bring in stopping the clock, id prefer it happen now then in 50 years time.
Beardan
Roar Guru
You are comparing an era when the fulltime siren was announced by some old bloke with a stop watch and a bell to ring. Things, you would think, would be done a little more proffesionally now.
Birdy
Guest
It's all been tried in some way before. Let's face it , a kick at goal , a scrum, and I use the term loosely , and the down time after a try are all part if the game. Stopping the clock gets complicated and leads to players and coaches abusing it. In my opinion start a shot clock for all restarts of play but how to penalise it is another can of worms.
Birdy
Guest
I think I'll leave the sauna for you and I'll take the shirt and orange juice after I make a citizens arrest on the nude sun bathers at my local beach. Ha ha. When they tried stopping the clock all the players did was to stretch it out even further. Rex was not happy.
The eye
Guest
Mesmerising accompanying picture....can't remember that ever happening...almost miss him already.
Rodney Olsen
Guest
Meh, the way the video ref in both hemispheres has mucked about since the introduction of the concept, I reckon we'd be saving time if they enforced blanket rules across the board with time off when a try is scored. I remember watching the Catalans come from behind to beat Saint Helens a few seasons back and I swear it took at least 6 minutes to get a result from the Video ref, and as usual, everyone Bar the refs could see it was a try after the first replay.
Beardan
Roar Guru
When channel 9 tells Rugby League to 'jump', league says 'how high?'. The epl is far bigger but doesn't bend over to TV as much.
Beardan
Roar Guru
Cannot. Matches would go longer than an Australian first innings against the worst indies.
Wolly
Roar Guru
Personally I would like to see the clock being stopped as well as the shot clock. Clock being stopped so league lovers such as myself see a full 80 minutes of action. The shot clock to turn over possession if exceeded so there is no time being wasted.