CARLTON and Collingwood were in rare agreement on Thursday, urging the AFL to move quickly if it plans to introduce the 'two interchange, two substitute rule' for 2013.

The change to the interchange system, which was trialled by the AFL during this year's NAB Cup, was a hot topic of discussion when the 18 AFL senior coaches convened in Sydney for the annual meeting of the AFL Coaches Association.

The AFL's modus operandi when it comes to rule changes is to wait until the end of the season. But because the 'two and two' rule would likely affect the sort of players clubs would likely draft, both Blues coach Brett Ratten and Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley urged the League to make its intensions clear as soon as possible, so that their recruiters could start scouting accordingly.

"There's much to consider," Ratten told AFL.com.au. "Different shapes, different sizes, less athletic, more athletic, but from a recruiting point of view, it would be good to know sooner rather than later."

"They could be out there scouting certain types. It would be good for the scouts to know," he said.

In his first appearance at the conference, Buckley was another calling for a quick resolution, not necessarily on Thursday, but certainly well before next season.

"The players would like to be forewarned about potential rule changes. It impacts on recruiting and it impacts on preparation," he said.

The AFLCA is a body with more than 150 members. David Parkin was installed as president on Thursday, while Danny Frawley continues as its chief executive.

But the 18 senior AFL coaches are particularly key stakeholders and on Thursday they got together to discuss and debate some of the big talking points in football, both among themselves and in some robust - and often fascinating - discussion with various officials from the AFL who dropped by. The 'two and two rule' was up for discussion, but plenty more was on the agenda.

"We try to get some consensus among the group about what we think is best for the game and some changes that can be made, and present it as a group," said West Coast's John Worsfold, now the longest-serving continuous coach in the AFL.

The coaches think they get a bad rap for thinking purely in terms of wins and losses. But as Worsfold explained on Thursday, they carefully straddle two competing strands - striving for four premiership points each week and the long-term health of the game.

"Coaches do have the good of the game in mind but they also have an immediate viewpoint," he said. "The AFL takes a long term view, the coaches don't always agree with things initially, but they will get behind it and make it work."

Ratten said he used to expect uniform views among the coaches at such gatherings, before it dawned that the unique circumstances at each club mean that coaches have different views on the hot topics of the day.

"All lists are different in terms of age and personnel, so it is good to get together and exchange views," he said.

Some coaches told AFL.com.au they would simply adapt if the change to the interchange system was wrought for 2013. Others are hoping for a status quo.

The likely introduction of video replay technology for scoring decisions was also discussed and welcomed. The overwhelming consensus was that if the technology is there, then it should be used.

"It's a good thing," said North Melbourne's Brad Scott. "I think everyone just wants the right decision to be made. The critical thing is we have the technology then we have to make it right.

Port Adelaide's Matthew Primus agreed, but with one caveat: "As long as it doesn't increase the length of games because they're getting pretty long now."

Also up for discussion was the issue of feeder competitions. In the ideal world, all clubs would field a second team of their own, as do Collingwood and Geelong in the VFL, and Gold Coast, the Brisbane Lions, the Sydney Swans and Greater Western Sydney in the Northeastern Australian Football League, which started competition last year.

Swans coach John Longmire was a clear advocate and his club reaped the reward when the Swans moved its second team from AFL Sydney to the NEAFL.

"The key thing is that you control the team. You coach your own players. And we now have nine games against teams at a high standard," he said.

James Hird would like the same for the Bombers, but understands that the cost, as it stands, is prohibitive.

"But what you would want is to have a standard that is as close as possible to AFL standard," Hird said.

"It means your players are more conditioned and more ready to play senior footy."

The final discussion centered around medical issues surrounding the game. Much was said in confidence in what was a very frank discussion, but some of the examples given about the medical issues confronted by players, clubs and doctors were chilling and confronting.

What became clear is that there is much to learn, much to discuss and lots more experiences that need to be shared. The coaches, to their credit and despite having so much else on their plate, want to be at the forefront of that.