AFL clubs who lose star players to the two expansion clubs could receive better compensation in the draft than what the league has proposed.

As speculation increases about the futures of stars such as Brownlow Medallist Gary Ablett, Geelong are among several clubs who have lobbied the league about the compensation picks.

Gold Coast can sign up to 16 uncontracted players - one per team - and Greater Western Sydney will be able to do the same.

Any club that loses a player to an expansion club will receive a compensation pick in the draft.

The league will use factors such as each player's age and performance to determine where the compensation pick will be in the draft order.

But the Cats are among clubs who are arguing that stars such as Ablett - probably the league's No.1 current player - would warrant exceptional compensation.

It is understood that clubs are arguing the loss of a top-class player such as Ablett would warrant a pick at the very top of a draft, or more than one pick.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said the league had welcomed the club submissions on the proposed compensation pick system.

"It's a good thing (that) they have - there's a much better understanding now of this situation now with uncontracted players," Demetriou told ABC Radio.

"I know Geelong have been in to see Adrian (league operations manager Adrian Anderson), I think we've received some written submissions.

"No doubt, those will be discussed by the list review committee, as they should, they're legitimate issues that have been raised."

Asked about teams wanting better compensation if they lost top players, Demetriou replied: "You'd have to be sympathetic to that view, because if you were to lose the best player in the competition, you could understand why you'd feel aggrieved."

Meanwhile, Demetriou has revealed some more detail about next year's 17-team fixture, when Gold Coast enter the competition.

He said the league are looking at three options for how the draw will look, with each team to probably have two byes during the season.

Demetriou has also confirmed the season will start one week earlier to accommodate the extra team.

"The bye looks bloody complicated ... the way my guys have explained it to me, I need an abacus," he said.

The fixture will need further readjustment in 2012, when the second Sydney team is scheduled to join the league.

The home-and-away season currently runs for 22 weeks and Demetriou said it could probably not go longer than 24 weeks.

He added if it went to 24, the pre-season would probably have to be shorter.

Demetriou said the format of the competition with 17 and 18 teams was a crucial issue.

"If we get it wrong, it can actually do a lot of damage to the competition," he said.

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