The introduction of a wildcard finals round and a red-card system were among the main items discussed at the AFL's Competition Committee meeting on Wednesday.
The prospect of a wildcard play-off round over the pre-finals bye weekend received general support from the committee, although the timing of this possible fixture change remains unclear.
If introduced, the wildcard round would consist of two knockout games between the teams ranked seven and 10 and eight and nine for the final two spots in the existing four-week finals series.
Any change would have to be approved by the AFL Commission, which next sits in December.
However, there were mixed views among the Competition Committee's members on whether a red-card rule, which is used in sports such as soccer, would work effectively in the AFL.
There were public calls for a send-off system, whereby players could be removed from games for serious incidents, in the wake of Andrew Gaff's eight-match suspension for striking Andrew Brayshaw late in the 2018 season.
Other matters discussed included stricter penalties for intentional strikes and the use of studs in marking contests, along with player movement and next year's reintroduction of a mid-season draft.
