St Kilda veteran Leigh Montagna believes the AFL should consider introducing countdown clocks at all venues like in many other codes around the globe.
Following the controversial finish between St Kilda and North Melbourne in Round 7, the set shot countdown clock, which counts down from 30 seconds before players are called to play on, has been debated widely.
The AFL announced on Thursday it will retain the set shot countdown clock, but remove it from being displayed in the final two minutes of each quarter, as well instructing umpires to stop players deliberately running the time down, in a similar manner to Mason Wood.
Montagna says the AFL should go a step further and broadcast the time counting down in each quarter as most fans at the ground and those at home are aware of how much time remains in each quarter.
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“I’m happy for the time to go the other way and actually count down, because really the players are the only ones who don’t know how long there is to go,” Montagna told Triple M’s the Hot Breakfast on Thursday.
“Everyone watching on TV, the coaches, a lot of the supporters have either got someone who is listening on the radio or whatever to tell them (how long there is to go). So I believe a clock should countdown as well because everyone else knows.”
Contrary to the belief broadcasting the time will reduce the excitement of a tight finish, Montagna says it will encourage players to take more risks if they know exactly how long is left.
“People say that it will take the excitement out of it, but I think if a player looks up and you know there’s two and a half minutes to go and you’re down by two goals or if there’s 40 seconds to go, players who are trying to win the game will adjust and will start taking a lot more risks,” Montagna said.
“You’ll do some other things to try and win if you can actually see how long there is to go.”
