Responding to a proposal that the top six sides be precluded from taking a free agent unless they were to lose a free agent themselves, the AFLPA said they favoured further loosening player movement, not reducing the number of teams.

North Melbourne football manager Geoff Walsh said the early experience of free agency had validated concerns that it favoured the strong teams being able to secure free agents and the equalisation philosophy of the AFL should favour stopping the top six accessing a free agent unless they lost a free agent in the same draft.

The lower clubs, which are typically in a list rebuilding phase, have to date either not been as interested in older free agents or those older players have been less interested in the lowly clubs because they doubt they will achieve success within their career span.

The AFLPA has submitted a proposal to the AFL that the eligibility criteria for free agency be reduced to six years for a restricted free agent inside the top 25 per cent of money earners at the club and eight years for an unrestricted free agent, from the current eight and 10 years.

The association also favours scrapping draft compensation for clubs losing a free agent, in particular for clubs losing an unrestricted free agent.

"Our view is we favour loosening the number of years for a player to become eligible for free agency," AFLPA chief executive Paul Marsh said.

"While there have been some high-profile players go to the stronger clubs, those clubs have also lost players. Hawthorn picked up James Frawley but they also lost four players in the years before, including Buddy [Franklin].

"We have already presented a proposal to the AFL on the issue so discussion has started on that. I don't think we can support more restrictions on free agency."

The AFLPA argues that the average player's career is six years long so it makes sense to reduce the free agency threshold to six years.