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THE AFL has reduced the number of times teams coming off a bye play opponents coming off six-day breaks in the 2017 season.

The number has dropped from seven in 2016 to just four next season.

Two of those four occasions will take place in round 10 when Port Adelaide and Gold Coast have a bye after returning from China to play Geelong and Melbourne respectively, who both have six-day breaks leading into the game.

Fremantle will face a refreshed Brisbane Lions at the Gabba in round 12 after a six-day break and Sydney will take on the rested Tigers in round 13 after six days.

The bye rounds caused discussion last season when each team coming off a bye in round 13 played teams in round 14 that had not enjoyed a bye the previous week.

Four of the teams playing after the bye won, and two – Carlton to Greater Western Sydney and Gold Coast to Hawthorn – lost.

While clubs refused to complain publicly, most acknowledged the situation was not ideal.

Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson represented most clubs' thoughts on the issue when he spoke after the win against Gold Coast.

"I think if they could avoid that sort of stuff it would be fairer, but by and large there is all sorts of things in the draw that are fair for some teams and unfair for others and over 22 rounds you just hope that it evens itself out a bit," Clarkson said.

The fixture in 2017 sees three games between two teams both coming off a bye (as opposed to two in 2016), and eight games with one team having at least a seven-day break as opposed to a six-day break in 2016.

The Dockers, who won just four games in 2016, lost to Collingwood off a six-day break after the Magpies had a bye but the Swans were able to defeat a rested Geelong at Simonds Stadium after a six-day break.

The AFL prefers to spread the bye across three weeks because it allows consistent weekly content and maintains momentum.

It also ensures a team from each state is playing each week (which the AFL considers to be particularly important in non-traditional markets).

The AFL has also retained the pre-finals bye after round 23.