The average game time for Round 1 this weekend was 21 minutes shorter than last season, after a move to cut back on game time.
This move was made to potentially squeeze more games in earlier in the season due to the coronavirus outbreak, allowing quicker recovery time.
Speaking on Fox Footy's AFL 360 on Monday night, host Gerald Whateley threw his support behind keeping shorter matches long-term.
"I'd be staggered if we went back, regardless what happens for the rest of the season," Whateley said on Fox Footy.
"I think there was a whiteboard at the AFL that had the idea of 100 minutes anyway, and that existed anyway. Never waste a crisis"
Whateley also spoke on the recovery benefits for players due to reduced game time.
"Jeremy Howe said his running numbers were down from 14 and a half clicks to nine, and he thought he would be available to play again on Wednesday. That's going to serve whatever we get of the season from here particularly well.
"He couldn't believe how different he felt from a standard game to where he was on Saturday morning"
AFL greats Gerald Healy and Johnathan Brown spoke on Fox Footy'sย On the Couch that star players were still playing the same amount as 2019 but their minutes now took up a greater portion of game time.
"We know coaches, if they were playing this week, would make some sort of adjustment," Brown said.
"But it's here to stay, it has to be here to stay. It's been fantastic the shorter quarters... I absolutely loved it, it was more ballistic, it was freer-flowing."
