A TOUGHER stance on the contentious deliberate out of bounds rule has delivered the AFL's wish to have fewer stoppages.

On average, the umpires are averaging around 1.5 deliberate out of bounds free kicks per game in 2016, up nearly one per game on last year's figures.

As a result, the number of throw-ins per game has dropped from an average of 42.4 in 2015 to just 34.3 so far this season. 

AFL umpires' boss Hayden Kennedy said his men had adjudicated the stricter interpretation "pretty well".

"The (change) had to occur because there was a clear mandate from the AFL to tighten up deliberate out of bounds because there were so many stoppages," Kennedy told AFL.com.au's Whistleblowers program.

"(The umpires) used to (on average) half a free kick per game, now we're up to 1.4 (per game.)

"Paying one extra (deliberate out of bounds) free kick (per game) has resulted in around about eight less boundary throw-ins and that can only be good for the game, we think.

"If you had to put a percentage on it, (we're) probably getting 70-80 per cent (right)." 

Kennedy said a deliberate out of bounds free kick paid against Collingwood's Jordan De Goey in the opening seconds of the clash against Hawthorn was incorrect and the umpire should have called for a throw-in.

And Kennedy dismissed views that a missed free kick against Magpie Levi Greenwood for an outlandish marking attempt in the dying minutes could have cost the Hawks the game.

Greenwood flew for a mark over Jack Fitzpatrick without touching the ball and should have been penalised for a push.

'To say the decision may have contributed to a Hawthorn loss, I disagree totally with that," Kennedy said.

"A particular decision as one (free kick) can't influence (a game because) a game is over two hours long.

"There are so many decisions made over that time, so many errors made by players, so I think it's unfair."