• Danger's No.1 ... but the coaches are picking another first

• You can talk to a rival club but ...



EVERY one of the AFL's senior coaches is against the post-round 23 bye, which was introduced as a measure to prevent controversial selection tactics on the eve of the finals.

Nearly 40 per cent of coaches would support a wildcard finals round instead to give the ninth and 10th-placed teams a chance to compete for a finals spot.

The bye in the week before finals was introduced at the end of last season as a response to growing concerns over integrity, with Fremantle and North Melbourne resting players en masse in the week before their first finals.

The Kangaroos' decision to rest 11 players all but handed victory to their opponent Richmond in round 23 and, as a result, severely dented Adelaide's hopes of climbing into the top six and earning a home elimination final.

The AFL has made several plans around the bye, calling the two weeks before finals a 'celebration of football'. Events include the All Australian awards, a legends game, and a women's exhibition game.

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The coaches made their views on the game clear in an exclusive survey for AFL Media, giving insights into the game's stars, leading clubs and rules.

Seven of the 18 coaches believe the high-contact rule needs to be changed at the end of the season, after multiple controversies in 2016 involving players drawing free kicks.

Five coaches said the rule did not need to be changed, with six simply saying "please leave the rules alone".

A majority of coaches (11) believe the rookie list should be removed, and 15 said the size of lists was big enough.

The coaches were divided when it came to a mid-season trade period.

Four were supportive of the idea, and seven were against it. A further seven were in favour of recruiting players from state leagues during the season.

The AFL has found 14 new fans when it comes to Thursday night football, but one coach is against an earlier than usual to the traditional round of footy. Three coaches said they were happy to play "anywhere, any time".

When it came to the biggest game of the year, more than 66 per cent of the coaches (12) would prefer a day Grand Final, while twilight (four) and night (two) matches had less support.

Interestingly, more than 61 per cent of coaches (11) believed the length of games should be reduced.

The AFL's rule and interpretation changes for 2016 – including stricter deliberate out of bounds, the 10-metre exclusion zone and interchange cap of 90 – had improved the spectacle, according to 10 coaches.

Only seven of the 18 coaches believed the umpiring standard this season had been worse, with three coaches believing the Match Review Panel had also performed worse in 2016.

The AFL Media annual coaches' survey, facilitated by the AFL Coaches' Association, was conducted in July. All 18 senior coaches took part in the anonymous online survey, although not all 18 answered every question.

Full results of the 30-question survey are published in the round 20 edition of the AFL Record, on sale at all venues.