CHANGES to the AFL's interchange rules will see the substitute become a thing of the past from 2016. 

The oft-derided substitute will be replaced by the traditional four interchange players.

However the current rotation cap - currently set at 120 per game - will drop to 90 from next year.

Under the new rules, changes can at quarter breaks and rotations for blood rules, concussion assessment and stretcher changes will not be counted as 'capped' rotations.

The last time an average of around 90 rotations per game occured in 2009 (91.9). 

In 2008 the average number of interchanges was 80.3.

The substitute became seen as increasingly redundant in 2015 as the 120-interchange cap was introduced, which kept rotations to a similar level as they were in 2011 (117.4 per game).