NRL season 2014 saw an increase in the amount of on-field action per game as a result of the introduction of rule changes designed to minimise game time lost to stoppages.
All in all, it meant there were an extra 378 minutes of NRL action in 2014 - almost five more games worth of match time.
New rules in 2014 generated an additional 378 minutes of 'ball in play' footy - that’s almost five extra #NRL games! pic.twitter.com/cO1Qk8afQq
— NRL (@NRL) February 24, 2015Heading into season 2014, the NRL announced that the clock would stop following any penalty goal or conversion in the final five minutes of a match to discourage time wasting and maximise the chance of more grandstand finishes.
Referees also called time-off 80 seconds after every try if a conversion kick had not been attempted, with clubs incurring a fine if conversion attempts took longer than 100 seconds.
Play was also restarted by a tap following a successful 40/20 kick, negating the need to pack a scrum.
More information about the NRL's focus on outstanding entertainment will be revealed in the 2014 Annual Report which will be released on Friday.
