Imo at V17 you guys need to be more firm with your times.
I am unsure why competitions get delayed etc, but if it's because teams come up to you and say "Oh one of our players will be back in 15 mins" or something like that, and you allow them that extra 15, that's probably why.
If you have a time set in stone, firm & unmovable, it allows people to work their schedule around that, instead of expecting a competition to start at 4, it hits 5:00 then you get hungry and go to Macca's and return halfway through the competition

Also, if you have a set time and someone asks you to wait for one of their players to get back from Macca's or something, just say bad luck you knew what time it started, play without him or forfeit.