Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett has attacked a reported plan to slash the half-time break at AFL games in half as "stupid" and detrimental to players' welfare.

The Age has confirmed the AFL has raised the prospect of cutting the half-time break from 20 minutes to 10 minutes in 2020, as a means of shortening the game, at a meeting with club chief executives before the first round of the AFL draft on Wednesday.

It was a historic night for the Gold Coast Suns who drafted best mates Matthew Rowell and Noah Anderson.

At least one football boss expressed concern to The Age at the effect condensing the break would have on the quality of games with teams needing as much time as possible to address injury concerns and reset strategy.

Clubs are also expecting a slight loosening of the runner restrictions with each club to be allocated an extra two times per quarter where they can send a runner on to the field on top of post-goals as was in place in 2019.

Kennett decried the suggestion as not in the interests of players, or fans, and believed it would not have a beneficial impact on players' conditions or the quality of the match itself in the second half.

"The AFL have just appointed 2 new mental health and wellbeing officers to address the impact of the game on players. Now suggesting to dramatically reduce the half time break to 10 min. What are they thinking? Who do they care about? Certainly not the players welfare. Stupid!" Kennett wrote on Twitter on Thursday morning.

"Given the speed of the game these days, after at least an hours play, and particularly on hot or inclement days I can't see how a shorter break can do anything but reduce the quality of the second half's play and players condition.

"Try exercising yourself for the best part of an hour and go around again for another hour. Not thought through in the interests of the players or the patrons attending the games. Stupid."

The proposed change would see the current half-time break cut in half, and would also include the reduction of quarter-time breaks to six minutes.

The league feels it would improve the television product. The proposal will be discussed at a second meeting between the AFL and the 18 club football bosses on Thursday.

Kennett also took aim at an AFL proposal from earlier in the week for players to have the ability to "challenge" scoring reviews they believed to be incorrect.

"Second stupid suggestion from someone at the AFL! Players will be able to challenge a decision of an umpire! How? Who will adjudicate? Not only will that interrupt the flow of the game, it would extend the length of the game. Someone at the AFL needs substance testing!" he wrote.

Football chief Steve Hocking revealed that player challenges, which would shift some of the onus to players when it comes to touched-off-the-boot calls only, was discussed at the AFL’s competition committee meeting on Tuesday.

With AAP