Under the experimental rules, each team will be allowed a maximum of 16 interchanges per quarter. The number of interchange players for each team will also rise from six to eight players.
The AFL announced late in 2007 that there will be no changes to the rules for the regular 2008 Toyota Premiership season.
AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson said the NAB Cup was a testing ground for new rule changes, allowing the league to gauge their impact on the game.
"The number of interchanges has risen substantially in recent years, jumping from 17 per team in 2000 to an average of 58 per team in 2007,” Anderson said.
“With players on the ground for less time and covering less distance, but travelling at significantly faster speeds, there is a concern about the potential increase in collision injuries and also the impact of player congestion caused by players being able to get to more contests.
"This will allow us to see how a limit on interchange works in practice."
A further change to the NAB Cup rules for 2008 will see a new no-go zone introduced at centre bounces.
A 2.5m x 6.5m area around the centre circle will be marked on the ground. Players may not stand within this area when the umpire is preparing to bounce, is bouncing the ball or is retreating from the stoppage. Offending players will concede a free kick.
This year’s NAB Cup will again feature a number of rules trialled in previous pre-seasons. These include:
- 20 metre kick for a mark
- kicking backwards for a mark only allowed in the forward half of the ground
- three points for a deliberate rushed behind
- nine points for a goal scored from outside 50m
- ball to be thrown up around the ground, and bounced down only at the start of quarters and after goals
- play on if the ball hits the goal or behind post and comes back into the field of play
- boundary throw-ins to be taken from 10 metres inside the boundary line.
