The AFL is currently considering how to reduce the overall running time of a match but concedes they will be "sticking" with the length of quarters.
Debate has once again reignited that the traditional 20-minute terms - which were introduced in 1994 - are too long for fans while score reviews and stoppages add further time to the proceedings.
Key figure Neil Balme and Geelong coach Chris Scott have been on record saying the reduction of quarter length would improve the overall spectacle of the game, reduce injuries, and potentially allow for more five-day breaks from week to week.
MORE: AFL 2024 - Injury list
Channel 7's Mitch Cleary revealed that the league won't be changing the quarter length for the "foreseeable future" but will be looking at other areas to reduce the overall match.
"Key figures like Neil Balme and Chris Scott want the quarters reduced but the AFL will be sticking with 20 minutes a quarter of playing time for the foreseeable future," Cleary said.
"What they'll try to reduce is around other parts of the game, to try to get the game time and overall experience down.
"One area they've already been able to do that is around the score review. They tightened it up after Round 5. In the first five weeks of the season, three quarters on average, a weekend, were going over 35 minutes.
"Since they've tightened up the score review, that number is halved to just one and a half quarters per weekend going over 35 minutes.
"Also, my belief is they'll reduce the 6-6-6 warning at centre bounces and another area they'll look to (reduce) is around stoppages.
"Whether that's allowing time to continue to tick down when it comes to boundary throw-ins or ball ups around the grounds."
The AFL will stick with 20min + time onโฆ but is conscious how long quarters are running.
Rounds 0-5, 2.7 qtrs per round ran 35+mins.
Since tightening score review, now 1.3 qtrs.
Expect 6-6-6 warnings to go.
Other areas of potential tightening in future will be around stoppages. https://t.co/P51K27ArZo— Mitch Cleary (@cleary_mitch) May 15, 2024
The competition did get a sample of the shortened quarters in 2020 due to COVID, whereby terms were reduced to 16 minutes as the AFL was forced to fixture more games in a condensed period.
Another consideration the league could make is the breaks in between quarters.
At quarter-time and three-quarter time breaks, clubs have six minutes to refresh and review while the main change is 20 minutes.
In 2021, AFLPA president and Geelong champion Patrick Dangerfield was in support of shortened quarters, saying the magic number of "18" would see the game benefit.
Right now in AFLW, quarters run for 17 mins. Time on for goals only in first 15 minsโฆ then time on for all stoppages/goals last 2 mins.
If it ever happened - and clearly itโs exploratory - it would be some kind of breakdown along these lines— Mitch Cleary (@cleary_mitch) May 15, 2024
Dangerfield believes that the minor reduction in time would assist in increasing the number of games throughout the season as well as fixturing, with contention surrounding five-day turnarounds.
โI've always been big on shortening the quarters, with the potential to lengthen the season," Dangerfield said onย SEN.
"I think there's a mark that we could hit, say around that 18-minute mark, 18 and a half minutes, that would then mean the quarters sit around the 27 minutes instead of 32.
โWhat it would enable you to do is play more games, but also adjust your fixturing, because one of the biggest challenges at the moment is the five-day breaks between games."
Heading into Round 10, clubs have suffered farcical amounts of injuries as key players have been sidelined for a range of reasons.
With the addition of Jack Martin recently, Carlton has 14 players sitting in the stands while arch-rivals Collingwood sits with the same number.
Richmond has only had six players feature in every game this year while 15 players are currently sidelined although Liam Baker and Dylan Grimes are expected to return.
On average, clubs have just under nine players out of action through injury.
