THE AFL'S footy boss Greg Swann has moved to clarify comments he made on Wednesday night, when he said "fans don't care" in a discussion about the length of quarters.
On Thursday, Swann said his comments referred to whether or not fans cared if quarters were 30 minutes or 32 minutes, not that length of games was not a concern for supporters.
"What I actually meant was the fans didn't really care about our debate ... whether it was 32 minutes or 30 minutes," Swann told SEN.
"The fans are hugely important, obviously. We're loving that they're coming to the games and we're loving that they're watching on TV, and we listen to them.
"If there was a bit of misconception there, that wasn't what it was meant to be. They do care, they care a lot about the game and we get a lot of advice about changing rules and not changing rules.
"But that was the context. It was just that I don't think the fans, from what I understand, are too fussed whether it's 32-minute quarters or 30-minute quarters. They just want to see good footy which we'll certainly get this weekend and we've had for most of the year."
Speaking on Fox Footy on Wednesday night, Swann spoke about League's attempts to shorten the duration of games, saying 30-minute quarters were "utopia" rather than quarters stretching beyond that.
"We'll have a look how you get to there. Whether it's instead of 20 (minutes) and time on, is it 19 and time on, 18 and time on?," he said.
When it was put to him that supporters would rail against any alteration to the length of games, Swann responded: "Yeah, they don't care. They're happy with the game. With the crowds and the viewership, everything’s pretty good."
Swann also backed the use of video technology during last Friday night's semi-final, saying the right call was made in the Ollie Dempsey incident because the video footage was inconclusive.
There was uproar about the video review during Fremantle's semi-final win over Geelong; Dempsey appeared to kick a spectacular goal with a scissor kick, but the goal umpire signalled a behind because he thought the ball had come off the arm of Dockers defender Matthew Johnson.
But the AFL Review Centre (ARC) ruled that the available video footage was inconclusive and so the goal umpire's call was not overruled.
"There are plenty of people ... who have said it's come off his arm (Johnson), versus his boot (Dempsey) ," Swann said.
"That's the debate. He's definitively called a point and the ARC ... aren't definitive that it's not come off the arm, versus the boot.
"So in that case, they defer it back.
"If he had called a goal, they would have left it go as well ... on the same basis."
It was put to Swann that the vast majority of people thought it was a goal.
"I'm not sure about that. There's enough doubt around that that they (ARC) didn't want to interfere," he said.
Swann re-iterated that all trades in the upcoming player movement period would be scrutinised by the AFL as the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide try to work out a deal for star free agent Zak Butters.
"Let's just see what happens. There might be other things involved, there might be other picks and players involved," Swann said.
"We are speculating a little bit, but in the main it (the trade value) has got to be pretty close - or some semblance of close."
Swann also confirmed AFL.com.au's report on Wednesday that Gold Coast had the option to trade for free agent Scott Pendlebury so as to not affect the compensation the Suns will receive for losing key forward Ben King as a restricted free agent.
"It would if he (Pendlebury) just came in as a free agent. Again, it's to do with the (compensation) bands," Swann said of the Collingwood great.
"But, having been through a few of these myself, Gold Coast will trade with Collingwood and give them a pick, and then that way their compensation isn't diluted.”