Thompson was realistic in his appraisal of the changes, which come into effect from round nine, where a new interchange holding area has been created in front of the club benches to clamp down on the explosion of player rotations now used in the game.
The AFL has also appointed one interchange steward per team to ensure clubs comply with the correct procedures.
These changes have occurred since the controversy surrounding the North Melbourne-Swans draw at Telstra Dome in round six, where the Swans had a 19th man on the ground.
"We had a few patches there where we struggled a bit, but if it's the right system - I'm not sure whether it is or not - but it's the one we've got and we just have to adapt and we tried it and was great that they gave us a trial today," Thompson said after his side's 30-point win over Richmond at the MCG.
"We trialed it and we made a few blues and there was a few times there where we took a person off and didn't put a person on. But it's just a matter of getting our systems right and we're pretty confident we can do that.
"The coaches sometimes messed up and if we do late changes, it's impossible to get a player on, so we just have to adapt in the coaches' box."
"It just adds another little dimension to the game that we have to get right and we'll do it."
