The National Rugby League "declared war" on "dead time" after games last year, on average, went five minutes longer despite there being "only an additional seven seconds in playing time," according to Roy Masters of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. While an early-season "penalty blitz" by referees contributed to some of the "dead time," the over-use of replays of tries by officials in the bunker was a "major contributor to a decline in the percentage of time where the ball was in play." With games "stretching" to 94 minutes and 44 seconds from kickoff to final whistle, the amount of dead time "grew" to 41 minutes and 52 seconds. Those are "damning numbers" for a sport which relies on TV rights fees and seeks to attract an audience of the "short-attention-span millenials" who are "increasingly agnostic over what screen they watch." In a document sent to club football department execs, the NRL requested a "major reduction" in the time spent by bunker officials reviewing tries, writing, "The primary focus of bunker review officials should be to determine if there is sufficient evidence to overturn the live decision of the referee." Translation: "Unless the match referee has missed something very obvious, the video referee will be expected to uphold his decision." The NRL already announced other moves to cut "dead time," such as reducing by five seconds the time players "must form a scrum or re-start with a drop kick" (SMH, 2/11).
