A clampdown on dangerous tackles is among several changes to AFL Tribunal rules for the upcoming season.

The league has altered the way in which players are penalised for throwing opponents into the ground or the fence.

Last season a player was regarded as having made only body contact if they "spear tackled" an opponent, grabbing them around the waist and slamming their head into the ground.

Under the new rules the same tackle would be regarded as high contact, drawing a stiffer penalty.

In another change, a player that pushes an opponent into the path of a third person may be held responsible for the impact of the secondary contact, not just the initial push.

The AFL also clarified their rules on when a 25 per cent discount applies for a guilty plea.

The issue provoked controversy after Sydney forward Barry Hall's infamous king hit on West Coast's Brent Staker last year, which resulted in the Swan being referred directly to the tribunal.

Tribunal chairman John Hassett's recommendation at the time that the jury "strongly" consider giving Hall a 25 per cent discount probably saved him from a 10-match ban, rather than the seven he received.

The new rules explicitly specify that while a player referred directly to the tribunal may be entitled to a discount, it does not apply automatically, as it does in the case of offences which draw set penalties.

Another change is that a player reported for behaving in an abusive, insulting, threatening or obscene manner towards an umpire will now be referred directly to the tribunal.

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