The National Rugby League "could trial its shot clock as early as this season with a
time cap on scrums and dropouts to be introduced next season along with a
reduced interchange," according to Michael Carayannis of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The NRL announced the interchange "would be
cut to eight next season" and a shot clock will be introduced to "limit time wasting on dropouts and scrums." With the NRL yet to formalize
"how long teams will be given for stoppages, they are expected to trial
the changes" in U20 games within weeks and "could test them in NRL
matches that feature teams not in finals contention later this season." The changes were "formally approved by the Australian Rugby League Commission on Wednesday after four months of planning." NRL Head of Football Todd Greenberg said, "They are big changes for the game. It is a big step forward and a good step forward for player safety and enjoyment of fans. It is not about speeding the game up. It's about keeping the game
continuous and making sure fans have a product they want to watch but
equally making sure injuries for our players continue to decrease." The shot clock is expected to be about 30 seconds and "will wind down once a referee signals a scrum feed." Scrums will also be moved for injured players. Greenberg: "It is not looking to get players sprinting to scrums or speed the play
up. What it is looking to do is stop time wasting and
stop players standing around for an inordinate amount of time waiting
for the ball to get back into play" (SMH, 7/22).
