AFL Football Operations Manager Adrian Anderson said the Commission and the Laws of the Game Committee had studied detailed examinations of the trends in AFL football over the last 40 years.

“The core objective of the AFL Commission, and the Laws of the Game committee, when examining the direction of our game is to enhance and maintain the appeal of AFL football as an outstanding sport for spectators and players,” Mr Anderson said.

“Our focus is to see a more continous style of play, with less players around the ball and a reduction in the likelihood of high-impact collision injuries,” he said.

This research had shown the style of game at the elite level had continuously trended towards a greater density of players around the ball, less contested marking and less one-on-one contests.