Sydney coach Paul Roos has thrown his support behind Collingwood's call for the AFL to expand the interchange bench to prevent injuries deciding games.

Roos sympathised with Magpies counterpart Mick Malthouse, who had only 20 fit players at his disposal for most of the second half against the Western Bulldogs on Sunday night after Ben Reid (foot) and Anthony Rocca (ankle) suffered game-ending injuries.

The Magpies were gallant but overrun, which prompted Malthouse, like Richmond coach Terry Wallace earlier this year, to call on the AFL to allow clubs to use reserves to replace players who could not return to the field.

Roos said it was "just about impossible" to win games when faced with the injuries Collingwood had and felt it was time the AFL considered expanding the bench from four interchange players.

"If you ask the coaches and perhaps polled most of the coaches, I think most of them would say they would like extra players on the bench and certainly at least for those situations," he said.

"I think the AFL is starting to take other opinions on board.

"I don't really have an answer, but I think it's certainly worth discussing with the coaches' association, the players' association and the AFL, because there's no doubt it is more demanding now physically and four on the bench, maybe it's time to expand it."

The AFL said it was receptive to clubs lodging submissions about proposed rule changes.

Football operations general manager Adrian Anderson said the league wrote to clubs last week inviting them to lodge discussion points that could be viewed by the laws of the game committee and possibly the commission.

Anderson declined to discuss possible changes to the interchange rules, but said the Magpies were entitled to lodge a submission within the next month which would be considered.

Wallace said in April he was preparing a paper that addressed the boom in interchange rotations, suggesting two emergencies be put in place should clubs suffer injuries during games.

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