AFL great Kevin Bartlett believes players milking the shot clock, like Essendon’s Jake Stringer did yesterday, is a bad look for the game.
Stringer received a 50-metre penalty late in the final quarter of the Bombers’ win over North Melbourne, putting him in the goal square. When he got there, Stringer stood and waited for the 30-second shot clock to elapse before taking his kick, waving at the crowd in the meantime.
While acknowledging there isn’t anything illegal about the activity, Bartlett explained how he isn’t a fan of it.
“It’s not a good look when we see a player just standing there looking at the clock and just waiting because he is going to have a shot,” he told SEN’s KB and The Doc.
“He is waiting for it to get down to about eight seconds or so before he starts his run-in.
“It’s not a good look for the game.
Jake Stringer soaks up the clock and kicks the goal. ⏰#AFLDonsNorth pic.twitter.com/Dh1CtYp8hT
— AFL (@AFL) July 1, 2018
“I don’t know how we get around it because if a player just wants to run down the clock like that, he is entitled to do so.
“Whether we should do something about that, that’s something to be discussed.
“I just wonder whether 30 seconds, when you see players standing around just looking at the clock, it makes a mockery of the game a little bit.”
Stringer continued his strong run of form in the victory, kicking three goals and collecting 15 disposals.
SEN’s KB and The Doc with Kevin Bartlett and Dr Turf can be heard Monday-Friday 3-6pm (3-5pm on Friday's), and you can subscribe to the podcast here