Geelong star Patrick Dangerfield has left a polarising post on social media platformย X, formerlyย Twitter, demanding the AFL consider shorter quarter lengths, albeit for an unusual reason.

Dangerfield has previously called for shorter quarter lengths, with his role as AFLPA president to improve player welfare on both physically and mentally.

He has been vocal about altering the AFL's illicit drugs policy in the past, with player welfare at the forefront, and again led from the front in 2020 with the league's player pay dispute during the COVID-19 impacted period.

Dangerfield reportedly favoured introducing shorter quarters in 2024, when journalist Jay Clark suggested the league shave off two minutes per period, creating 18-minute quarters with time on.

It comes after the 2020 season played with 16-minute quarters, which were viewed as too short by many. However, 18 minutes presents as the "magic" middle-ground figure.

โ€œPatrick Dangerfield, who's the president of the AFLPA,ย has been in support of this as well,โ€ Clark said onย Fox Footy.

Replying to a video onย Xย of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver posing the question on whether the world's biggest basketball league reduces its quarters from 12 minutes to 10, Dangerfield chimed in with his agreeance and hopes to implement it into AFL.

"The NBA is the only league that plays 48 minutes. I am a fan of four 10-minute quarters, I'm not sure that many others are," Silver said on the Dan Patrick Show.

"Put aside what it means for records and things like that, I think a two-hour format for a game is more consistent with modern television habits.

"People in arenas aren't asking us to shorten the game, but I think as a television program being two hours, Olympic basketball and college basketball are (successful two-hour formats)."

Dangerfield, prepared for backlash, made his contentious take known, citing reduced attention spans as a reason for the AFL to consider the change.

"As audiences attention span reduces the debate will continue with the AFL quarter lengths," the Cats star said.

"It's time to reduce them - cue outrage."

The AFLPA proposed shortened quarters and two byes per season last year amidst a league ravaged by injury.

As clubs prepare for practice matches just a fortnight away, injury lists are already building in intra-club match simulation hitouts, highlighting the heavy load AFL athletes undertake, and are perhaps, in the eyes of Dangerfield, too much volume.