The AFL has raised the prospect of a new free agency system in which "depth" players would become free agents after five or six years, in a reform it believes would help the competitive balance of the competition.

In effect, the AFL has floated with the players the concept that free agency would be extended to depth players - those who are on the fringes of their team - two or three years before it becomes available for highly paid players.

In conversations with the AFL Players Association, the AFL said it was open to the idea of lowering the qualifications for free agency - reducing the years of service needed - for players who were not highly ranked for either salary or games played, or a combination of those qualifications.

The AFLPA has indicated it is receptive to the proposal because it supports any measure that provides players with greater freedom of movement.

One of the objectives of the proposal - which is yet to be fleshed out - would be to improve the competitive balance of the competition, by giving "depth" players from stronger clubs the opportunity to cross to a weaker team, which they would help improve faster than under the current system.

This early free agency for depth players is a recognition that the prized free agents - such as Lance Franklin, Brendon Goddard, James Frawley, Nick Dal Santo and this year's biggest-name free agent Patrick Dangerfield - typically do not want to play for teams that are rebuilding and stuck for a period in the bottom section of the ladder.

Clubs have been hostile to reducing the free agency qualification period from eight years to the six years that the players want. But the AFL view is that if there was a shorter period - either five or six years - available only to lower-ranked players, there would be less resistance and it would also compensate for the trend of the better free agents leaving struggling clubs.

One of the problems identified in the present system is that the likes of Franklin and Frawley become free agents when they're 26 years old and they don't want to spend the next three years with a club that won't play finals.

But in the event that depth players become free agents after five or six years, these players would be both younger - starting at 23 or 24 - and more willing to play for a lowly placed side.

Players who have found it difficult to cement a spot at a strong team, such as Geelong's Billie Smedts and Hawthorn's Angus Litherland (both in their fifth year), were identified by industry observers as the kind of players who could be available under this system.

Carlton coach Mick Malthouse is among those who has voiced concern that bottoming-out sides struggle to attract quality players.

The AFL also believes that by extending free agency to this class of less-established or less-well-paid players, lowly clubs would avoid some of the dangerous trades in which they are forced to give up draft position to gain a player. The Blues, for instance, gave up pick number seven and received Kristian Jaksch and Mark Whiley from the Giants, while dropping down to pick number 19, in a deal that is contrary to their present list management strategy.

Carlton also gave up pick 46 for erratic key forward Liam Jones, who was in his sixth year. Under this potential new system - depending on the detail - the Blues might have gained him without a trade for nothing and had a better draft position. Collingwood potentially could have gained Jesse White from the Swans without a trade - he had been on Sydney's list for seven years and played 71 games.

One issue that this proposal raises would be the risk of losing perennially injured players who have not established themselves but who are viewed as high-level talents. Ruckmen are another potential anomaly, since many take several years to mature into regular senior players. But the counter argument is that all players have a right to find a new club and improve their career if they aren't receiving opportunities in their first five or six years, and that most careers end within six or so seasons.

The notion that an elite talent like Melbourne's Jesse Hogan could be periodically injured over a few years and therefore fall into the early free agency category is unlikely, since he will be highly paid and thus wouldn't qualify.

If this system is adopted, the free agency for depth players is all but certain to be either five or six years. Clubs will not accept free agency in years one to four, because it gives no incentive for developing players, while it's considered that there is little point reducing the qualification period for some players from eight years to seven years.

Under the present system, restricted free agency - where clubs can match the offer - applies after eight years to players ranked in their club's top 10 for payments. Those not in the top 10 become unrestricted free agents after eight years, with all players unrestricted after 10 years.