The AFL's incoming executive general manager of football performance, Greg Swann, has discussed potential changes to the Match Review system, the length of games, the sub, the AFL Draft and more ahead of his move to league HQ.
Swann finishes his 11-year tenure with Brisbane this week, with the Lions CEO leaving on a high as the Queensland club claimed a close win over the Western Bulldogs on Friday night.
His attention now turns to an array of issues currently high on the list of matters the AFL will need to make a call on, with Swann to spearhead those potential amendments.
The MRO and Tribunal processes, the length of games and the existence of the bounce, the tactical sub and interchange numbers, as well as the current AFL Draft system, are all set to be assessed by Swann, who has a clear take on several of those issues.
Quizzed on the length of games, Swann stated he's very much in favour of looking to reduce the time of matches and quarters.
"Yes (I want shorter quarters). They average 35 minutes now," he told Channel 7 after the Round 19 win.
"We wait too long for people to set up. From a ruckman point of view, if there's enough people around the stoppage, just ball it up and get on with it.
"That's a thing we need to look at, and that might be changed relatively quickly.
"I'll have a chat to the umpires and see if we can speed the game up."
๐จ Long-form chat with Greg Swann ๐จ
An in-depth chat with the incoming AFL EGM Football Performance on a number of issues, including...
- The length of quarters
- The sub
- His areas of responsibility
- Academies & the draft
- Feedback from clubs
- The bounce pic.twitter.com/XIIjYay7FEโ 7AFL (@7AFL) July 18, 2025
Swann will speak with all 18 clubs on where they sit on having a tactical sub, with Swann already aware of Chris Fagan's displeasure with the sub.
The AFL could look to introduce a fifth interchange player, giving coaches more flexibility and fewer selection headaches.
"That's one I'm interested in the clubs' (point of view)," Swann said.
"I've done one survey, 'Fages' doesn't like it. So we'll see if the other 17 don't like it either.
"It's awkward for the coaches. The longest part of the selection committee is who's the sub. It takes half an hour to work out who the sub is.
"Sammy Marshall didn't get on for long tonight, he'll play VFL tomorrow. That's hard for the sub to do as well.
"That's one high up on the list."
The MRO and AFL Tribunal have continued to be an issue for the AFL and its fans, with Swann calling for more transparency on decisions that are handed down.
The new footy boss believes Match Review Officer Michael Christian could be utilised in the media to help discuss the outcomes.
"I think we should actually explain why we get to a decision we get to," Swann added.
"I don't see any reason why we shouldn't do that. Michael Christian might have a bit more of a role in the media to explain how he got to certain decisions.
"That's something we should do, just be more transparent and put it out there."
Swann also stated he's not in favour of centre stoppage bounces, and would like to see the Academy and father-son draft processes continue under the newly-changed points index for the coming years at least.
