THE AFL is considering introducing a new timing system to halt the increasing length of matches, The Age reports.

The League will discuss whether to bring a rule trialled in this year's NAB Cup into the home and away season, where time-on wasn't called for the first 17-and-a-half minutes of each quarter.

Time-on was only played for the last two-and-a-half minutes of each quarter.

"The quarter lengths this year have varied between 26 minutes and 38 minutes," AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson said.

"It has been something discussed and monitored by the laws of the games committee and we will get more feedback from clubs, supporters and broadcasters."

Anderson said the method trialled in the NAB Cup had reduced the length of quarters significantly.

"The quarter lengths hovered reliably between 21 and 22 minutes [in the NAB Cup]," he said.

"[If the rule is implemented] it means quarters may not run shorter than quarters now but there would be less variation with the extremes of long and short quarters.

"The umpires would still have the discretion to stop the game in that first 15 or 17 minutes for an undue delay [such as a player being stretchered off]."

The move follows Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse's comments after the round 20 clash with Port Adelaide that matches are dragging on too long.

"I've said before, the game's too long, it's far too long," Malthouse said.

"A lot of quarters go 30-plus minutes - how does that work out?

"Most topline sports in the world are over within an hour of a half, or a bit over.

"We're playing two-plus hours ... we might murder our game in its present state."