The AFL has today announced that the traditional pre-game warm-up has been abolished, with pre-game activities and curtain-raisers becoming a bigger focus. 

Clubs will no longer be able to take to the field for team warm-ups, with teams entering the field just once, just prior to the bounce. 

Clubs will now have to undertake the majority of their warm-up in the rooms.

The other major rule change announced is the introduction of an extra emergency. 

Clubs will now list four emergencies when submitting their line-up, up from three in recent years.

This change has been implemented to give coaches more flexibility with their selections, and clubs should now not have to pick a player from outside the named emergencies, which has happened in the past.