THE AFL has listened to club feedback and shortened the length of quarters for the 2027 AAMI AFL Origin clash after the frenetic return of representative football in February had a lasting injury fallout.

Western Australia and South Australia will clash at Optus Stadium on February 27, with the League confirming in a memo to clubs on Tuesday that quarters for that match would be reduced to 18 minutes plus standard time-on.

AAMI AFL ORIGIN All you need to know about Origin footy

The change comes after feedback from clubs and high-performance staff following a high-scoring and ballistic clash between WA and Victoria this year, which saw quarter lengths exceed 35 minutes.

"The revised format is expected to produce average quarter lengths of less than 30 minutes, reducing player load while maintaining a meaningful representative football experience," the League wrote in its memo to clubs.

While AFL football boss Greg Swann has worked to reduce quarter lengths by removing dead time, it is understood the Origin change is not being viewed by the AFL as a trial for introducing a similar change for regular season matches in the future.

The intensity of this year's Origin match and the resulting injury fallout at a sensitive point of AFL club pre-seasons created a compelling case for the change.

Greater Western Sydney star Sam Taylor was a major casualty of this year's game with a high-grade hamstring strain, while Matt Rowell (finger), Jacob Weitering (ribs), Callum Ah Chee (hamstring) and Mitch Georgiades (hamstring) all suffered setbacks.

Several other players suffered soft tissue injuries in the weeks following Origin, which saw players smash through their planned running loads given the game's high-octane style and competitiveness.

The AFL also told clubs it would extend quarter time and three-quarter time breaks to eight minutes due to the heat in Perth, with team sizes remaining at 25 players per team.

Players and staff will arrive in Perth on Tuesday 23 February to begin Origin week, with the first wave of players to be announced later in November and senior coaches expected to be confirmed as early as this week.

AFL.com.au reported last month that Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir had been approached to lead Western Australia and would accept the position after serving as an assistant for Dean Cox and the Black Swans this year.

Victoria won last year's Origin clash against WA 18.17 (125) to 15.11 (101) in an engrossing clash at a sold-out Optus Stadium, with the contest breathing new life into the representative format.

The AFL has confirmed the next three years of Origin fixtures, with SA returning to Origin footy for the first time in 28 years when it takes on WA in February.

The Croweaters will then host bitter rival Victoria at Adelaide Oval in early 2028 before Victoria returns to Optus Stadium in 2029 to take on WA.

The AFL has not ruled out an Origin match at the MCG from 2030 onward involving the 'Big V'.

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