TEN OF the AFL's 18 coaches will gather for dinner on Tuesday night with League chief executive Gillon McLachlan and football operations boss Simon Lethlean.

While the menu remains the domain of McLachlan, the conversation will be steered by the coaches themselves.

Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan will represent the interstate contingent, flying in for the evening, while nine Victorian-based coaches will attend.

Shortened JLT could showcase AFLX: Lethlean

The game's most recent premiership winner, Luke Beveridge, is an apology due to a prior engagement.

"The agenda is deliberately unsaid because it goes in whatever direction the coaches take," AFL Coaches' Association chief executive Mark Brayshaw told AFL.com.au on Tuesday.

"What I like about the evening is ... all the coaches put aside their own club issues and seem to be leaning forward in the chair and getting an understanding of the bigger pictures issues in the game," he said.

Ahead of his first appearance at such a gathering, AFL Exchange caught up with Lethlean to learn about some of the topics he hopes to discuss.

"We've been on the record as saying these are the most important people in our game that set the agenda on lots of things, and it'll be open to them to raise what they want," Lethlean said.

SHOT CLOCK

"We are trying to make umpiring as easy as possible, and if where we're at now with the two minutes of not displaying the shot clock is making umpiring more difficult and playing more difficult, we'll have a look at whether we just change that and make it consistent," Lethlean said.

"l'll have a discussion with the AFL coaches first about that tonight and see what they think."

AFLX

"It'll certainly be a topic tonight," Lethlean said. "We'll look at it, we want to do it. We'll need the player and club support to get there with it."

RUNNERS

"The runners are there for the clubs, not for us, (I'd) be happy for them not to be there. But the sentiment across the years has been that clubs require them to instruct and inform their players," Lethean said.

"The main thing we have of concern is them being out there coaching and being out there too regularly."

THE MENU

"I have no idea, that's up to chef McLachlan,"

"He's a very good cook Gillon, I'm sure he's at home now stewing over something and he'll have a nice little entrée, main and dessert ready for everyone."