Richmond coach Terry Wallace has criticised the officious nature of the AFL's new interchange rules, saying that filling out forms incorrectly should not be able to cost a club a match.

The new rules will come into effect this weekend, with club officials having to hand slips with planned substitutions to interchange stewards before players can enter the field of play.

Clubs had a chance to rehearse the new system last weekend, with a free kick plus 50m penalty to apply for any infringements from Friday night onwards.

Wallace said under the incoming system, the Tigers would have given up a certain goal against Geelong last weekend because a club official wrote down 21, Shane Tuck's number, rather than Matthew Richardson's 12, before Richardson came off the bench.

"We had 18 players only on the ground at any one time, they left the areas at exactly the right time, but because it was the wrong number on a sheet of paper we would have got a goal against us that could impact the game at the end of the day," Wallace said.

"I'm not sure if (a player is) running 16km in a game and working his backside off that somebody writing a wrong number on a sheet of paper should impact on him winning or losing the game."

Wallace said the Tigers had written a submission to the AFL saying the paperwork was unnecessary, but doubted it would have any effect on the league.

"We just believe that there is probably an easier way to organise it," he said.

"Provided there is only 18 players on, if you knew that one player was coming on and off at any one time, we just didn't believe that the paperwork aspect of it was necessary."

Meanwhile, the coach said the Tigers needed something to show for solid recent form, with only two premiership points from their past four matches.

Wallace said they had played probably their best football during his time in charge in that period, which included competitive performances against the league's three unbeaten teams, Geelong, Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs.

He said they needed to maintain their intensity, despite having little to show for it so far.

"What we've tried to be strong on is if we continue to do what we've been doing eventually results will come our way," Wallace said.

"That mightn't mean that at this point in time we are in the top four sides in the AFL but I think it shows that we're an improving squad.

"Probably over the next six to eight weeks we've got to show that to ourselves (with wins)."

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