The Shot Clock - Should we bring it in?

[Hollywood Jesus]

OK, so there's been talk forever about a shot clock - scrums, video referee decision and now 40/20 restarts.

So, should we bring it in, and if so, for what areas of the game?

In my view, the idea is to stop the slowing of the game, forcing teams to pick up the pace and eliminating times when teams exploit stoppages to get an extra breath or two.

If this is the case then it can't be used for the video decisions. Despite the fact that we all hate how long they can sometimes take, forcing a video ref to make a decision in a set amount of time is just asking for trouble. We can spend forever afterwards analysing the footage and finding what the correct decision should have been, so don't force the refs into making a decision before they have to.

Scrums and, for example, 40/20s are ripe for a shot clock, though.

30 seconds for a scrum, 20 seconds for a 40/20?

Failure to pack the scrum means you concede a penalty and failure to get back for the 40/20 means ref calls play on?

We could either have the video ref count down so the ref can hear in his ear mic, or maybe have something that goes into the ref communication system that has a pre-recorded countdown, so the video ref just presses the 30 second button or the 20 second button and then the on-field refs hear the countdown, so they can give updates (10 seconds! 5 seconds!) to the players on the field?

Anyways, should we do it?
If so, when?
If so, how?

 

[Matchball]

Topball=Yes. Rugby league=No

 

[canberra_raiders2k2]

With how boring this season has been, the faster it is over the better.

 

[maple_69]

Penrih checking in. Enjoying the season immensely.
In terms of the quality of the spectacle I though the first 8 weeks were a big step forward and then they just stopped officiating all of the changes that had improved the game. Piss off scrums altogether. Quick taps should be a part of the game but 40/20 quick tap provides too big an advantage. 30 seconds for sacrum and dropouts/kickoffs, 45 for conversions and 60 for video ref.
The amount of down time in the game is disgraceful.

 

[LineBall]

Shot clock for scrums, dropouts, 40/20 restarts (would prefer they go back to a scrum though). A 20 second shot clock is plenty of time. They also need to make sure the game clock stops during this time so less game time is wasted.

 

[Danish]

I actually like a shot clock idea, particularly for conversions. I don't like that at present refs can just call time off whenever they feel like it in this regard.

Line drop outs, 20m restarts, and shots at goal could all have a shot clock attached. Shot clock expires and you forfeit the conversion, or receive a penalty against you on the spot where you were supposed to be restarting play. Scrums might be a bit more difficult as it would be in the refs' hands to decide which side is causing the delay, which could only lead to inconsistency (especially if neither team is bound before the clock expires)

 

[firechild]

Line drop outs, 20m restarts, and shots at goal could all have a shot clock attached. Shot clock expires and you forfeit the conversion, or receive a penalty against you on the spot where you were supposed to be restarting play.

Line dropouts, maybe.

20m restarts, do you seriously think there is an issue with teams time wasting for a 20m restart? Most of the time the ball is rushed back to the 20 for the tap. Don't need fixes for problems that don't exist.

Shots at goal? Hard one because clubs will start getting their ball boys to cause delays in getting the kicking tee/ball out to the opposing player. Windy day? Bad luck you ran out of time because the ball fell off the tee 3 times.

I'd like certain elements of the game made quicker but a bit more thought needs to go into the solutions rather than just applying black and white time penalties.

 

[LineBall]

Line dropouts, maybe.

20m restarts, do you seriously think there is an issue with teams time wasting for a 20m restart? Most of the time the ball is rushed back to the 20 for the tap. Don't need fixes for problems that don't exist.

Shots at goal? Hard one because clubs will start getting their ball boys to cause delays in getting the kicking tee/ball out to the opposing player. Windy day? Bad luck you ran out of time because the ball fell off the tee 3 times.

I'd like certain elements of the game made quicker but a bit more thought needs to go into the solutions rather than just applying black and white time penalties.

Don't you think that a team up by 2 points with 2 minutes to go wouldn't want to take as much time as possible for a 20 metre restart if they could, particularly if they have been under the pump defensively for a couple of sets in a row. You need to think about all scenarios.

 

[lockyno1]

Shots at goal especially although I am more in favour of time being stopped after a try is scored and restarted at halfway. We are losing 10minutes plus a game on conversions!

 

[eozsmiles]

I'd take a stopped clock before a shot clock. I don't like waiting 40 seconds for a drop kick or scrum to pack, but I hate that we lose that time from the game. After a few scrums and tries, an 80 minute game is only an hour. The more points that are scored, the less actual footy we see. It's silly.

 

[Hollywood Jesus]

The problem with stopping the clock as opposed to putting a shot clock in is that it still allows teams to waste time and get themselves a breather.

Now, some may be ok with this and that's cool. I'm just saying that there might be another advantage in the shot clock in that it keeps the pace of the game up and this can open up the game the longer it goes.

 

[Glenn]

No, especially when you have referees stopping play to look at incidents that may have occurred in a tackle.

 

[eozsmiles]

The problem with stopping the clock as opposed to putting a shot clock in is that it still allows teams to waste time and get themselves a breather.

Now, some may be ok with this and that's cool. I'm just saying that there might be another advantage in the shot clock in that it keeps the pace of the game up and this can open up the game the longer it goes.

Definitely. We should have both. A time limit to ensure the game flows along and players don't take extended rests, and stop the game clock so that we aren't guaranteed to lose 30 secs to a minute of game time whenever the ball goes out of play.

 

[TheVelourFog]

just stop the clock when a try is awarded and restart it when the opposing team kicks off again

any other problems you want me to fix

 

[firechild]

Don't you think that a team up by 2 points with 2 minutes to go wouldn't want to take as much time as possible for a 20 metre restart if they could, particularly if they have been under the pump defensively for a couple of sets in a row. You need to think about all scenarios.

The possibility for that already exists and again, I say that I haven't seen it happen.

 

[insert.pause]

I think you could end up with farcical situations where players are standing around looking at the clock wind down before they start to move to soak up the maximum break.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

just stop the clock when a try is awarded and restart it when the opposing team kicks off again

any other problems you want me to fix

You haven't fixed this at all. If you stop the clock the players will take longer to get back into position, take longer to take conversions and take longer to take the restart. If you have no limits clubs will have no problem with exploiting the rules.

 

[insert.pause]

This is the problem with Greenberg, he is obsessed with speeding up the game with new rules instead of focusing on the real issue which is wrestling because he doesn't have the balls and is afraid of upsetting clubs.

 

[thorson1987]

Lets stop the clock when one of these happens:

- dropped ball
- scoring play
- change of possession
- Give each side 3 timeouts a half.

While we are at it, teams get another set of 6 when you advance the ball a predetermined distance.

 

[--Storm--]

Just stop the f**king clock whenever ball is out of play, start playing 80 minutes instead of 45-55 minutes.