Players’ union boss calls for countdown clock

GEELONG star Patrick Dangerfield has called for a countdown clock to be on the scoreboard during games.

Players are kept in the dark as to the time remaining during a quarter, with coaches needing to relay the time left via runners and signs on the bench.

The issue was highlighted when Richmond’s Noah Cumberland played on as the siren sounded after taking a mark 50 meters out from goal, just needing to score to win.

“I was actually looking up when the first digital clock was invented, 1961 it was, yet in an AFL game, with all the technology that we have, we still have team members and staff holding pieces of paper on the sideline saying, ‘30 seconds to go’,” the AFLPA president told SEN’s Whateley.

“I just think it’s pretty pedestrian that we don’t exactly have the information that we can see straight away.

“I don’t think it detracts one bit from the game itself and as a supporter if you don’t want to look at it, don’t look at it, but it’s something that’s pretty valuable for us as players.

“It just doesn’t make sense to me that we have staff on the side of play holding up signs.

“I don’t think it attracts that much that we can’t have a countdown clock.

“I remember my early pre-season days at Adelaide and our conditioning staff at the time… we would do sets without knowing what the end reps were because he could always fall back on ‘during a game you don’t get a clock’, so we’re just going to run you and you have to attack every single rep until we say that and that’s bloody hard to do.

“I’m not sure why there is anyone who opposes it. I don’t think it’s a unique thing in our game like ‘wow, that’s pretty special to have’. Surely it’s something we can look at going forward.

“I don’t buy into the idea that the players will look at it and the game will be dull. At the moment the game is as exciting as it has ever been… the game is in great shape, I don’t think it would in any way detract from that.”

– BY NIC NEGREPONTIS/ SEN