So, the AFL is bringing together a working group of former players, media personalities and commentators to discuss the look of the game.
AFL legends Malcolm Blight and Leigh Matthews are reportedly on board, as is former Herald Sun chief football writer Mike Sheahan.
Blight wont be short of things to say. "Thirty-six players in one quarter of the ground is my pet hate. I've got some ideas," he said.
Malcolm Blight won't be short of things to say.
Newly inducted AFL Legend Kevin Sheedy has an idea of his own. He reckons that to reduce congestion its time the AFL trialled 16-a-side in the pre-season games.
The current game is not everyones cup of tea, with many vigorously arguing the game has changed for the worse. They claim its too defensive, too congested and that the games gone soft.
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And while the womens game continues to grow, recent research conducted by Roy Morgan shows participation at club level is on the slide, down over 4 per cent from 2013-17.
Whatever your view on the state of play today, theres little doubt it has changed dramatically over the past four decades. In fact, because of the 360-degree nature of the game and the fact players can run anywhere without the restrictions of zones or an offside rule, a strong case can be made that Australian Rules football changes more rapidly and more frequently than any other football code in the world.
Sometimes the games changes are most starkly illuminated by those who view it from a distance. Upon seeing the game for the first time over 30 years ago, my Irish-born mate James was shocked by how aggressive and antagonistic the game of Australian Rules football was compared to the football codes he grew up watching in Northern Ireland. He was surprised that players tackled so ferociously, bumped so hard, pushed and shoved so frequently and even flew into packs with elbows, arms and fists flying everywhere. This was the game as he saw it in the 1980s.
For the better, the games been cleaned up, but some argue its gone too far and is now too robotic and too mechanical. Tackles that were once considered textbook are now illegal.
But other changes unrelated to the physicality of the game also abound.
Handballing, which was once considered something you only did as a last resort, is now more common than a long kick to a contest. Sometimes its more common than kicking in general.
Handballing was once considered a last resort.
In a game of "highest score wins", the emphasis on kicking goals has been replaced by stopping them, which means players are expected to run to all parts of the ground to apply defensive pressure. There was once a day when the full forward only left the goal square to lead for a mark.
Of course none of these changes necessarily mean the game is now worse, but they do highlight that its now very different.
So what will the future hold? What will the game look like 20 years from now?
Well, if history has taught us anything we can bet the structures, set-plays and tactics that already dominate the game will only intensify.
We can also safely assume the game will become even less aggressive than it is today. This will be driven by the notion that for a game to "move with the times" it must also be safe.
Medical research continues to reveal the long term, and often lasting, impacts of head knocks, so the "head" will increasingly be protected. Plus, parents are increasingly concerned with the dangers of their kids playing a physical, contact sport. Australian Rules football already lags behind soccer as the football code of choice to play among Australians around the country.
We can also confidently guess the game will be shorter. Put simply, its hard to think of a game thats lengthened over time. Most games are getting shorter. Crickets Twenty20 revolution is an example of this. Other sports, such as tennis, are also trialling a range of new initiative designed to shorten their games and reach the climax of the contest quicker. Younger generations like their sport to be consumed in shorter bursts and, of all the football codes, Australian Rules football is by far the longest.
But then again, a shorter game with less physical contact is starting to sound a whole lot like AFLX, which received only lukewarm enthusiasm from punters when trialled for the first time in February.
What all this means for long kicks to contests, high marks and big scores, which I, for one, would like to see more of, is anyones guess. These are important issues for the "look of the game" committee to consider.
In reality the look of the game has continually changed. We can only hope the game will be as exciting as ever in the future. But different? Take it to the bank.
Sam Duncan is a lecturer in sports media and an Age columnist.
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