While appearing set to reject an AFL Players Association request for a change in free agency rules, the AFL will seek feedback from clubs this year on what Evans has called density issues.

One remedy includes the possibility of having two players from each team positioned inside each of the 50-metre arcs at all stoppages, while another move could be to have four players forced behind the back of the centre square from kick-ins, helping to open up play.

"They are the sorts of things we will take to clubs this year as part of our consultation process," Evans said on Sunday.

AFL legend Leigh Matthews spoke of the radical idea in January, declaring it would be football "utopia" if it worked. Ensuring there are players inside 50 has since been loosely trialled in the under-18 TAC Cup, although there are no set rules.

Evans said the league's Laws of the Game committee was scrutinising the number of players around the ball.

"Certainly high on the agenda for the laws of the game committee to look at are congestion and density, particularly immediately around the ball,'' Evans said.

''It appears anecdotally to be denser again this year than it was last year. So we are looking at all of the sorts of things we can do with the game.

"One of the things that was suggested was whether there are restrictions on having some players stay inside their 50 whenever there is a stoppage. That philosophy has been taken into the TAC Cup this year. My understanding is that is a philosophical viewpoint from coaches. It is not actually being followed out by umpires during a game.

"If something is apparent during the game where they are not following that, it is a conversation mid-week, as opposed to an umpire having to adjudicate."

Under Matthews' plan, as soon as an umpire blew his whistle, four players from each team would have to dash to an attacking or defensive arc should, as is commonly the case these days, the forwards and defenders find themselves locked in a 15-metre radius of the ball, resembling something of a rolling maul.

With fewer bodies around the ball, the game's best midfielders would have more room to shine, giving the game greater fluency.

The three field umpires would be able to police the system but waiting for players to retreat to inside an arc could be time-consuming, adding to the frustration of supporters and viewers.

Speaking on the Sunday Footy Show, Evans said it was "worthwhile having the conversation".

"I would also like to be able to trial it before you bring it in,'' he said. ''The difficulty with it is, the TAC Cup, those players don't play under the systems of the AFL.

"It's not quite as relevant to run a trial there. If we were to try and run it in the pre-season competition, the clubs quite rightfully are trying to prepare for round one. So it's difficult to bring in significant changes in the pre-season competition. That's the challenge for us, whether we just implement something or just trial it. My preference is to trial."

Evans said a "significant" issue for the Laws of the Game committee was that league officials "move far slower than the coaching fraternity".

"The brain power that exists at clubs in a coaching fraternity can change the way the game is played two or three times during the course of the year. As a general rule, they come up with a solution that works over time as well," he said.

"We had terrible flooding at one stage. The press seemed to make it a much better game. We had more contested marks, more free flowing play, we had players getting out the back and running into goals and those sorts of things.

"It's really difficult for us because we almost play catch up because we are evidence-based. We try and look for evidence in the statistics and then try and find a solution from there."

The AFLPA is keen for a change in free agency laws, with restricted free agency kicking in at six years, rather than the current eight, and unrestricted free agency beginning at eight years, rather than 10.

Another proposal is to make it easier for a player to join a third club, provided he has spent at least four years at his current club, but eight overall in the league.

"The AFL Players Association would like us to consider changes to the free agency rules. I think for the moment we will keep them as they are, maybe for another year or two, and take some viewpoints there from the industry," Evans said.