In seasons 2014 and 2015, there will be a cap of 120 rotations per match excluding substitutions and rotations made between quarters.
While he said coaches were disappointed at no longer having carte blanche with their interchange rotations, AFLCA chief executive Danny Frawley said the outcome was much better than they were bracing for a year ago.
"Like the players, we would have liked the status quo to have continued," Frawley said on Tuesday.
"We're pretty disappointed that they brought in the cap.
"But the collaborative approach of (AFL football operations boss) Mark Evans and our advisory group means we achieved a much better result than this time last year when they were talking about a cap of 80.
"Eighty would have been too big an ask, so with the fact that with the breaks between quarters makes it about 130, it is close to what it is now."
Clubs have averaged 133 rotations this season.
The AFL Players Association was also disappointed with the cap of 120 on interchange rotations, claiming there was "insufficient compelling evidence to support introducing the rule".
General manager of player relations Ian Prendergast said the players remained unconvinced that the proposed cap was necessary, and were "concerned with potentially adverse impacts for both players and the game, many of which were outlined in the players’ association’s submissions."
The AFLPA also believes the decision to be at odds with an objective of the Laws of the Game Charter, which is being formulated, that states that rule changes should only be put forward when it has been determined there is "a real and proven need for any such change".
Prendergast said players remained concerned with the potentially adverse impacts the cap will have on the game and players.
Players expressed their opposition to an interchange cap in a recent survey conducted by the AFLPA.
It also presented a recent submission to the football operations manager Mark Evans where it argued the proposed cap would have a negative effect on player wellbeing and the spectacle of the game.
Frawley said the coaches were keen to see how the rotations would be monitored.
"It helps that coaches can stockpile their rotations if they choose and it looks like its implementation won't be a huge impost on the game.
"They'll just need someone who is good with figures to be sitting on the bench," he said.
