THE AFL Coaches Association's initiative to introduce joint coach press conferences for Fox Footy televised games has been shelved for 2015.
The proposal fell over after the AFLCA failed to receive the support of all 18 coaches, with the AFL also stepping in to force the association to make the offer widely available to the other networks.
AFLCA boss Mark Brayshaw confirmed on AFL.com.au's First Bounce on Thursday morning that joint coach preferences would not take place this season.
"It's not going to happen this year," Brayshaw said.
"It might well appear in the mix down the track, it's certainly something to be discussed."
The AFLCA and Fox Footy had brokered an in-principle agreement whereby the competing coaches at each 2015 game covered exclusively by the pay TV channel would sit alongside each other in a joint post-match press conference.
Fox Footy had agreed to pay the AFLCA $500,000 if the joint press conferences had gone ahead.
Carlton coach Mick Malthouse was dead against the AFLCA's idea and was outspoken in his objections.
"I'm totally and utterly against it," Malthouse said two weeks ago.
"We're a sideshow, coaches. People go to watch the players play, not coaches cuddle and whatever else they're going to do in a joint interview."
Brayshaw also addressed the issue of opposition analysts spying on clubs' training sessions.
In 2009, a 'gentlemen's agreement' was drawn up whereby clubs were not to attend closed training sessions of rival teams.
However, some clubs are indignant about 'spies' gaining a live-look in to their training sessions despite previously announcing that specific days are closed to media, fans and scouts.
The matter was raised at a recent AFLCA advisory group meeting, but the fact it is impossible to close some grounds makes it challenging to institute a League-wide ruling.
"The thing that really annoys them (clubs) is that there's a gentlemen's agreement and violating it, in their view, is at odds with the behaviour of a gentleman, believe it or not," Brayshaw said.
"If it's published that it's closed then the opposition analysts shouldn't be there (in their view).
"This gentlemen's agreement is probably not going to live much longer."