GOLD Coast has tried to get an early jump on expected rule changes in 2019 by unofficially tweaking its NEAFL setup in recent weeks.

Following trials with Hawthorn, Brisbane and Fremantle in the past month, AFL operations boss Steve Hocking said on Tuesday some changes would be made ahead of next season to nullify congestion.

Suns coach Stuart Dew confirmed on Wednesday the club's NEAFL team tinkered with the starting positions of its players against Greater Western Sydney last Saturday.

"Knowing the rule changes are coming you do start to put an eye to the future and prepare for that rather than wait for round one next year," Dew said.

"I think we can have a look at some things and try to bring that into play.

"We've been trying it for a couple of weeks in the NEAFL unofficially and policing it ourselves, just to have a look.

"We did it on the weekend against GWS, who weren't doing it, and the first half didn't bode well. We changed a few things at half-time."

Gold Coast trailed by 12 points at half-time, conceding a landslide of inside 50s, but turned things around to win by two points.

Dew said keeping players in the forward 50 rather than pushing them up the ground could certainly could help scoring in the NEAFL.

He was still unsure how it would work at senior level, though.

"You watch some games and think it needs it (rule changing), and on the weekend in our game against Essendon there was lots of space and lots of one-on-ones," he said.

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