North Melbourne coach David Noble headlines a newly formed AFL Game Analysis committee that will assess ongoing trends of the game.
AFL.com.au understands the nine-person panel has already met once this year and will convene monthly throughout the season.
A large focus has been placed on the impact of last year's rule changes to start 2021, while the committee will continue to collaborate on game data for the future of the competition.
It is being chaired by AFL football operations boss Steve Hocking alongside AFL's head of game analysis Josh Vanderloo and performance and innovation manager Damian Farrow and will feature various figures from the football industry.
They include Noble, St Kilda head of football David Rath, Adelaide analytics guru Binuk Kodituwakku, Collingwood special projects boss Marcus Wagner, Champion Data's Karl Jackson and sports analytics professor Sam Robertson.
Rath previously worked as the AFL's coaching innovation & education manager in 2018-2019 after 16 years as Hawthorn's head of coaching services from 2004-2019.
It is expected the outcomes and ideas raised by the Game Analysis Committee will then be put to the AFL Competition Committee which is yet to be formalised for 2021.
Numbers this week highlighted the stark difference between the first three weeks of the season and the shift from rounds four to six since.
The Competition Committee was formed in 2018 to help guide discussion and ideas to be put forward to the AFL Executive and then AFL Commission.
However, the Competition Committee will take on a different look this season with a number of chairs expected to switch with members having already served a three-year stint.
Clubs that are yet to have featured on the committee – Carlton, Essendon, Fremantle, Melbourne, St Kilda, Western Bulldogs – are being prioritised to fill positions for this season.
It comes after Competition Committee members in Collingwood president Eddie McGuire and Geelong counterpart Colin Carter, plus Adelaide chief executive Andrew Fagan, vacated their posts since the end of last season.
AFL Game Analysis Committee
Steve Hocking – AFL Football Operations Manager
Josh Vanderloo – AFL Head of List Management & Game Analysis
Damian Farrow - AFL Umpires Coaching, Performance & Innovation Manager
David Noble – North Melbourne coach
David Rath – St Kilda Head of football
Binuk Kodituwakku – Adelaide Head of Analytics and Football Innovation
Marcus Wagner – Collingwood General Manager of Strategic Projects
Karl Jackson – Champion Data Head of Data & Analytics
Sam Robertson - Victoria University Professor of Sports Analytics
