The radical new format being championed by league boss Gillon McLachlan to combat dropping attendances and falling TV audiences towards the end of the minor rounds, would see the competition split into three groups of six for the last four games of the season.

More likely to be fine-tuned in time for 2019, the new fixture would appease the players' desire for a second in-season bye and involve a complex reset yet to be fixed involving a potential wildcard round before the finals in which four clubs would vie for the two bottom places in the eight - in effect perhaps turning the finals into a 10-team proposition.

The biggest shift in recent months has been the decision to break up the home-and-away rounds into an 18-4 split rather than McLachlan's original plan which proposed a 17-5 split in which every team played each other once before breaking the competition into the top, middle and bottom six format for the last five games.

The latter has been rejected by a special working group headed up by AFL executive Travis Auld and including Sydney boss Andrew Ireland, Brisbane football chief David Noble and Geelong commercial chief Justin Reeves who have taken on the special project.

Their view is that the season should ensure nine home games for every club by round 18 plus a further two during the potentially floating fixture. The 18-4 split would also ensure the two South Australian Showdowns, WA Derbies, Q-Clashes and Sydney Derbies.

The radical fixture plan to be thrashed out at Thursday's meeting in Melbourne involving the 18 club bosses was initially rejected by the clubs when McLachlan first raised it in 2015. The recent Commission meeting saw some continued misgivings at the AFL board table which will most likely see commissioners insist on more lengthy fine-tuning meaning the new format could struggle to be ready in time for next season.

Of the various versions being debated most would see the top six clubs after 18 rounds ensured of a place in the finals with the bottom six playing the final four rounds for some draft advantages - potentially extra bidding points.

The middle six would be fighting for a finals position although the working group has not yet settled on how radically the AFL would reset the club's premiership points after 18 rounds.

The AFL Players Association has not managed to secure a second mid-season bye in the forthcoming six-year collective bargaining agreement but nor has it been written out of the new deal to be unveiled go the 18 clubs on Thursday. Union CEO Paul Marsh said the players were open to the new fixture proposal which he said would ensure a bye after 18 rounds.

"Competitive balance is one of our biggest priorities," said Marsh, "so the players are open to the idea and while we haven't got a second bye at the moment this proposal would mean we no longer need a week off between the home-and-away rounds and the finals.

"That was brought in for integrity reasons apparently but you would think under this format the integrity issues would not be a problem." Marsh refused to be drawn on the outcome of the votes from the 18 club playing groups on the CBA proposal but all the votes are in and it is understood the vote has been overwhelmingly in favour of the rich new deal which will see an instant 20 percent pay rise in 2017 lifting this year's salary caps by a total of almost $40 million this year.