Lloyd, who is a part-time goal-kicking coach at the Bombers this year, has proposed moving All-Australian key defender Cale Hooker forward and swapping struggling swingman Jake Carlisle back to defence.

He believes the option is worth a trial given the lack of symmetry between the midfield and the forwards that is badly compromising the Bombers ability to compete in games, and led to a situation against West Coast on Saturday where the Bombers had 51 more disposals but 20 less inside 50s in producing their lowest score under James Hird (46 points).

Hird's team has averaged just 52 points in the past three games, and the club ranks 14th in the league overall for scoring - placing increasing pressure on the coach's position as the 4-7 Bombers slip to the brink of falling out of finals contention.

"Everyone talks about Michael Hurley, but I think Cale Hooker is the best mark and the most dominant in the air at Essendon," Lloyd said on Footy Classfied on Monday night.

"So I would love to see James [Hird] try Hooker forward."

Lloyd, who kicked 926 goals for Essendon during his stellar career, likened Hooker's presence on the field to that of Collingwood's Travis Cloke.

"I know people at home are thinking 'you're kidding yourself, aren't you?' He's an All-Australian centre half back," Lloyd said

"But I look at Travis Cloke and he just commands the ball and I think it's time, because there is no direction from midfield to forward, that they actually put Hooker up there so there is someone big to kick to."

Hooker finished second in the club's best and fairest last year playing as a key defender.

Fellow panelist and Fairfax Media columnist Garry Lyon agreed that the Hooker experiment was worthwhile.

"We know Carlisle can play back. You might be taking one away from your defence but you won't be losing too much," he said.

Complicating the issue is the fact that the out-of-contract Carlisle has made a renewed commitment to the club to become a reliable and consistent forward, with the 23-year-old hoping to put behind him his underwhelming start to the season, which has produced 11 goals from the nine games he had played in that role.

However Hird has already shown he is willing to shift Carlisle to fill a need, putting him in the ruck last week against West Coast star Nic Naitanui.