As round 23 was dubbed a "farce" by AFL fans, league chief Gillon McLachlan has admitted he is no great fan of clubs resting players in the final round of the season, but that finding a workable solution was easier said than done.

McLachlan did float two possible "fixture reform" options, one being a shorter 17-round season that would likely prevent such situations from occurring, or "a bye at the end of the home-and-away [season] leading into the finals".

Adelaide have raised questions about the league's integrity after the decision to allow North Melbourne to make nine changes for Friday night's game against Richmond, days after the AFL let Fremantle make 11 changes this weekend.

The Roos' decision all but snuffed out any chance of the Crows hosting a home final at Adelaide Oval.

"I don't like it any more than anyone else does instinctively," McLachlan told ABC radio on Friday morning.

"The rules haven't been broken, and the rules are difficult to change to pick up all the circumstances like this.

"How do you not allow it if it's within the rules?

"[If] you say 'OK let's manufacture a rule that actually stops this. The issue is actually one of implementation because any rule you have has to apply in every situation."

McLachlan mistakenly gave the example of Sam Mitchell at Hawthorn last week as one that would be difficult to police.

"Where does it start and stop? Sam Mitchell was rested in Hawthorn last week against Brisbane in Tasmania," McLachlan said.

Mitchell actually missed the game through illness.

The chief compared the situation to that of the National Football League in the US, in which teams from the same division now meet in the final round of the season to enhance the chance that something will be at stake, and prevent resting.

McLachlan's comments came as the AFL Fans Association took aim at what it called "a terrible look for the game", which had turned round 23 into a "farce".

AFLFA spokesman Ron Issko also questioned whether the decision by the Dockers and Kangaroos to mass-rest players meant those supporters who had paid for expensive reserve seats had any "recourse".

He added: "What happens if Brownlow chance (North Melbourne's) Todd Goldstein misses out by a vote after being rested? If Fremantle and North are simply managing players, why haven't other teams in the top eight rested 10 players each?

"This situation is a terrible look for the game. Round 23 has turned into a farce and the make-up of the finals could be affected. Fans who follow their teams through thick and thin deserve much better. While some supporters accept the situation, many are angry and disillusioned."

St Kilda coach Alan Richardson agreed that a pre-finals bye could be the answer.

"It certainly looking like it isn't it," he said before the Saints' flight to Perth for their clash with West Coast. "It's certainly something that they would look at."

Richardson was sympathetic towards the Crows but said that he understood why North had decided to rest so many players. "I'd do the same," he said.

Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley also said he understood the position the teams were in, but added: "I have a little bit of a question about the integrity of the competition. Anything that I think affects ladder position, or draft position, in my view is affecting the competition's fairness."

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge, who resisted the urge to make wholesale change to his team ahead of Saturday's clash with the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba, was against the idea of a last-round bye, claiming that teams resting players en masse "adds to the intrigue of the competition".

"I think everyone will be looking to next week to see how Fremantle play and how the Kangaroos play, based on what they've done strategically," Beveridge said.

"It's not ideal maybe that teams are going out without their best squad but I think it's really interesting.

"There's obviously no ulterior motives other than Fremantle and North want to go as deep as they can into September, and it should be supported."

Beveridge said he liked the tactical challenge of weighting workloads for players throughout the year. The Bulldogs have used 40 players in the first 22 rounds, seven more than any other finalist.

"I really believe the old adage - it's survival of the fittest. Managing your players throughout the course of the year, and if you get to the end and can't go the journey, it's not your year," he said.

Hawthorn have made just two changes for their clash with Carlton. "Everyone has different philosophies on that. Our's is that continuity and stability are a really good thing and we want to keep the bulk of our side together going into finals, irrespective of the opponent," coach Alastair Clarkson said.