THE AFL has taken a razor to the game to slash 'dead time' in an effort to reduce the length of each match by around two minutes.
A raft of small changes will, the League hopes, reduce congestion while keeping the ball in play for at least the same percentage of time (61 per cent) as in 2012.
The average game time came down in 2012 from 123.57 minutes per game in 2011 to 121.58 minutes this season.
Changes to be introduced in 2013 will push the game time from start to finish to about 120 minutes.
Throwing the ball up around the ground will save about a minute per game. It has been estimated that bouncing the ball takes two seconds longer than throwing the ball up each time it happens.
The average number of bounces per game in 2012 was 24.
However throwing up the ball is just the most significant of a raft of time-saving changes that include:
- A reduction in the time allowed for kick-ins to 5-6 seconds after the flags are waved, down from approximately 7-8 seconds
- A tightening of the time taken to restart play following goals, with broadcasters able to return one second earlier
- Stricter enforcement of the 30-second limit on set shots for goal.
Tougher sanctions to ensure teams split from quarter-time huddles and return promptly after half-time will also reduce the length of time from first bounce to final siren.
The implementation of these changes will take the game back to about the average time it took to complete a game in 2008, when the average game lasted 120.06 minutes.
AFL Football Operations Manager Adrian Anderson said the motivation was to ensure the game remained free flowing and continuous as often as possible.
"We're keen to keep the ball in play for somewhere closer to 60 percent of the time," Anderson said. "At the same time we don't want the length of the game to creep out any further."
He said that was consistent with what the fans and other relevant parties wanted.
In 2012, the longest game was a Friday night sleep-depriver when the Eagles hosted Geelong in round 20 at Patersons Stadium. That game went for 136 minutes and 45 seconds; the time extending after Tom Hawkins was knocked out in the first quarter.
The shortest game for the year came in the second week of the finals when Adelaide took just 111 minutes and nine seconds to eliminate Fremantle from the finals series.
And if all this talk of time is too much too take in, remember this: about 3,325 hours remain before the bounce of the ball for the 2013 premiership season.
