RED CARDS aren't about to become part of an AFL umpire's game-day kit, not under the watch of league chief executive Gillon McLachlan anyway.

Debate about whether a send-off rule should be introduced has raged again after an ugly incident involving Port Adelaide defender Tom Jonas and West Coast midfielder Andrew Gaff on the weekend.

Gaff was knocked out and stretchered from the ground in the third quarter of the Eagles' win over the Power at Adelaide Oval after a crude attempt to spoil a mark by the Port backman.

Red cards OK with umpires, says Kennedy

The incident sparked a melee between Eagles and Power players and sparked discussion around the introduction of a red card system to send players off for extreme acts on the field.

In Sydney to launch this year's Indigenous Round – named after indigenous icon Sir Doug Nicholls - McLachlan made his feelings clear on the subject.

"I don't like the red card (idea), I don't like the send-off rule," he said.

"I think that we have incredible scrutinisation of the game, there is accountability for people's actions on-field through the Match Review Panel and the processes we have, and I think that the send-off rule creates a huge issue because of the significance of it, about where it starts and stops.

"It raises a whole series of potential impacts and challenges for very few incidents on a yearly basis.

"The consequence is so stark, and we've seen that in other sports across the world.

"I've experienced it playing community football, and I'm not saying it doesn't apply at lower levels, but I think at our level and the scrutiny we have, I think it raises a whole series of challenges to solve maybe one or two (incidents).

"We haven't looked at it. It doesn't mean that things can't be approved but I think I'm being pretty clear that there's not support within the AFL for it.

"We believe that our game is generally clean. There's always incidents, but we have a system to deal with it."

McLachlan also dismissed suggestion the AFL could introduce a sin-bin system similar to the one used in rugby codes.

Gillon McLachlan and Aunty Pam Pedersen at the launch of Indigenous Round. Picture: AFL Media