GEELONG coach Chris Scott prefers the shorter 16-minute quarters of the 2020 season over the return to longer games this year.
Quarters were reduced to 16 minutes plus time on last year to allow the AFL to deliver a condensed fixture, before returning to their traditional 20 minutes plus time on length this year.
After Brisbane's marathon 136-minute win over Carlton, Lions coach Chris Fagan said games were too long and he'd like to see quarters reduced to 18 minutes plus time on.
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St Kilda's Brett Ratten and Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley also favoured the middle-ground quarter length, citing concerns over player durability but Scott emphasised his support for the 16-minute version.
"I'm a huge advocate for the game being shorter - I think if the game stayed where it was last year, over a period of years, everyone would get used to it," Scott told reporters on Wednesday.
"The quality of the game I think would go up, it would be more sustainable for the best players to play for a longer period of time.
"I just don't buy into the idea that, let's make the hardest game in the world even harder and run these guys out of the game when they're 30.
"I'd love to see for every game bar two, Dustin Martin run around as a 35-year-old.
"I don't understand it ... it (longer quarters) flies in the face of the way world sport's going."
Scott emphasised coaches' opinions "shouldn't carry too much weight" but liked the versatility 16-minute quarters provided.
"I liked the compressed season last year, which is another option that opens up if the game's shorter," he said.
"I just think there's so many things in the pro column for the game being shorter, and virtually none in the other column.
"I prefer what we saw last year but I understand that's just my opinion - and that actually shouldn't carry that much weight on this one."
Carlton's David Teague supports traditional longer quarters but Richmond coach Damien Hardwick urged the AFL to find a "happy medium" between this year's 20-minute periods and last year's 16-minute quarters.
"This year is probably too long but last year was too short, so I think there'd be a better fit along the way," Hardwick said.
"We're seeing a growing injury toll but it's probably always prevalent at this time of the year.
"We hope that settles down for not only our club but for all clubs. We want to see the very best players available."
