Phil Rothfield discovers Monday night's NRL match between the Tigers and Sea Eagles saw only 49 minutes of game time
PHIL Rothfield discovers Monday night's NRL match between the Tigers and Sea Eagles saw only 49 minutes of game time.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
WHY did this game of rugby league go for only 49 minutes? Check out the 47 photographs below and you’ll get the answer.
They are stoppages, without time off, in Monday night’s Wests Tigers-Manly game at Campbelltown.
It is the proof that rugby league has become a sometimes tedious, time-wasting, stop-start and stuttering game — and that fans are getting ripped off.
Scrums, penalties, line-drop-outs, referees lecturing players, shots at goal and general time-wasting cheated fans and TV viewers of 31 minutes of actual game time on Monday night.There were 27 stoppages in the first half and 20 in the second-half.
And this is in a footy code that is supposed to be all about spectacular non-stop action … and often pokes fun at boring old rugby union over their number of breaks in play.
The Fox Sports time analysis reveals two minutes is wasted every time a try is scored as we wait for the celebration, then the conversion and the kick-off.
Video ref tries are not as time-consuming because the clock at least stops for adjudications.
Six-time premier coach Wayne Bennett says it’s not good enough.
He is a member of the NRL’s rules committee and will get it on the agenda for the next meeting.
“Bloody hell, that’s an alarming statistic,” Bennett said when told of the 49 minute game.
“The game’s continually evolving and we’ve got to keep abreast of what these trends are.
“There’s a lot of discussion we’ve got to have about the game in its present state.
“This game is supposed to be about the fans and what they want to see.”
League’s biggest rivals, the AFL are super focused on the speed of their game.
As soon as a goal is kicked, it’s time-off. The clock restarts about 30 seconds later at the bounce off. They stop the clock the second a ball goes out of bounds.
Their administrators have even sped up play when teams kick a behind.
They used to have to wait until the goal umpire signalled a point. Now extra balls are kept in a container behind the posts and teams can restart play immediately.
Bulldogs coach Des Hasler agrees the NRL has to introduce rules to speed up the game.
“You can’t ask fans to fork out to pay big money for their seats when a game goes for 49 minutes,” he said
“They’ve got to fix it — it’s ridiculous. You’ve got to give the fans a bang for their buck.”
Hasler says time off should occur the moment a try is scored and not restart until the ball is placed for the conversion.
The NRL conducted its own investigation into time wasting last year and found an average of eight minutes was being lost on scrums alone.
Scrums, that are a blight on the game with fullbacks or hookers packing in at lock and front-rowers at five-eighth to take a hit-up.
The NRL at least introduced a new 30-second rule for line drop-outs and scrums.
It also has a fines system in place for slow play with goalkicking. The kicker get one minute and 40 seconds.
The time wasting is a particularly frustrating for fans towards the end of games.
A team can score a try and hit the front with 90 seconds to go and simply wind down the clock with a slow conversion.
Instead of calling time-off and setting the stage for a thrilling final minute of play, the players shake hands and walk off.
The game and the fans are the real losers.
Singo’s monster punt on NRL grand final
The high-profile businessman and renowned punter has a whole lot of reasons to want Penrith to get up on Sunday.
What’s the Buzz: Bookies back Bulldogs for massive rise in 2025
The 2025 premiership betting markets are almost open and the bookies are set to make some surprise selections, with the Bulldogs surging ahead, while the Roosters are set for a deep dive.