In response to the debate about increased interchange rotations and its effect on injuries, Lyon used his press conference after Sunday's win against Fremantle to suggest playing the game in soccer-style 45-minute halves.
“Being a player and a coach, you think 'jeez, it goes for a long time'. Maybe it is about two 45-minute halves," he said.
"We are throwing up a lot of different options. It is the one for a long period of time I thought would be explosive and electric. It wouldn’t just become a war of attrition.
“Two hours is a long time ... it is an enormous amount and the demands on the body. Maybe it is a shortened version.”
Lyon said traditional four-quarter matches took a physical and mental toll on everyone involved in the game.
“You’ve got to concentrate for four (quarters) by 30 minutes. You see some teams that are fantastic for 30 minutes, and maybe with the shorter breaks they stop and it makes it difficult for those teams,” he said.
“Maybe it is what makes the game great - that capacity to gut it out and work together under adversity. I’m not sure.
“It certainly is not my typical mode of operation to be throwing up ideas about the game, but in the context of the last four weeks, it is something that may be worth looking at.”
