DESPITE the AFL's crackdown on dangerous sliding and concern over ducking tactics, chief executive Andrew Demetriou is adamant acts of courage will continue to be an important part of the game.

From this weekend, umpires have been issued a directive to award free kicks against players sliding knees or feet first into a contest. 

"Let's not forget we have some very courageous players, and we don't want to take the courage out of the game," Demetriou said on Friday. 

"I don't think we should jump to conclusion that there's more of these things (injuries from slide tackles) happening, they've always happened, they'll continue to happen, lets hope we don't see too many of them."

Demetriou also rejected suggestions from Greater Western Sydney coach Kevin Sheedy that the AFL was making up 'rules on the run' over sliding tactics.

He said the League's football operations department was simply reinforcing the rules.

"It's not a rule on the run, it's already an existing rule. It's an instruction to the umpires to enforce the rule pretty clearly," he said. 

"I'm hoping that the free kick that's clear cut now will avoid things being sent to the tribunal."

Meanwhile, the rule over whether adopted sons are eligible under the father-son rule will be reviewed at the next AFL Commission meeting.

Under current rules, the father-son process applies only to biological children.

"I just think it's a common sense thing, it's just one of those things that I think has been buried in our rules and regulations over a number for years," Demetriou said of the rule.
 
"We're not about any discrimination in any form, so now that it's been raised I think we should look at it."
 
There are no current examples of adopted sons wanting to nominate.