MICK Malthouse maintains that games and seasons are too long, but has praised the AFL for its plans to introduce an interchange cap that still allows coaches the freedom to innovate.
The Carlton coach, one of the pioneers of rapid rotations late in the 2007 season with Collingwood, has long opposed any proposal to cap interchanges, and was unimpressed with the 80-rotation trial during this year's NAB Cup.
In seasons 2014 and 2015, there will be a cap of 120 rotations a match, excluding substitutions and rotations made between quarters. There will no cap on interchanges a quarter.
Malthouse said it was "predictable" that the AFL would arrive at such a figure,
but lauded the inclusive efforts of AFL football operations manager Mark Evans.
"I think Mark Evans has done a terrific job of listening to the clubs. A terrific job," Malthouse said at Visy Park on Friday.
"The one thing that we needed most of all (on this issue) was us to be coaches and not be coached by the AFL.
"If you want to use a hundred in the first quarter and 20 for the rest of it, that's your prerogative. I think that is so important that we design how we use those 120. Most clubs are around that mark anyway.
"I think it's a terrific starting point and the AFL can adjudge from there."
Malthouse was also supportive of the decision to shorten the pre-season period to two official practice matches to accommodate two byes during the premiership season, saying the game was "very, very brutal" and took a heavy toll on players.
"I would have at least 10 players that can't play, and probably two or three weeks ago (who couldn't) play for the rest of the year. And we're like most clubs," he said.
He said he regards bye weeks as opportunities to regenerate players rather than flog them.
However, Malthouse believes that playing fewer practice matches might result in clubs experimenting less with young players to ensure their established players gain enough match fitness before round one.
