ESSENDON coach John Worsfold has backed calls to free up player movement, saying he would support a mid-season trade period being introduced to the AFL.

League chief executive Gillon McLachlan last year put the prospect of a mid-season exchange period on the agenda, saying it would give more power to the bottom clubs to turn around their fortunes quicker.

Richmond premiership coach Damien Hardwick has also long been an advocate of more player movement.

Worsfold, whose Bombers changed their trade strategy last year and brought in three seasoned players from rival clubs, said an extra avenue for changing clubs would be particularly useful for fringe players.

"I don't mind the idea. For clubs there can be a massive benefit, and for players there can be a massive benefit as well," Worsfold told AFL.com.au earlier this month.

"For a player who's not getting a game at one club … they ultimately want to play, they love their clubs and want to play for the clubs they're at, but ultimately they want to play AFL footy.

"So if there's a window of opportunity for players, I agree with that. Then it's up to clubs to use it to benefit their immediate position."

Essendon had been maligned for its trading before last season, bringing in just three players from 2004-2012.

But it followed its return to the finals in 2017 by adding Western Bulldogs premiership star Jake Stringer, Greater Western Sydney's Devon Smith and Gold Coast speedster Adam Saad to its list last trade period through a series of pick swaps.

Smith and Saad showed promising signs on Saturday despite the Bombers' 87-point loss to Richmond in their opening JLT Community Series game, however Stringer received a head knock early in the contest and had just six disposals.

McLachlan said a mid-season trade period would allow clubs to target and recruit players to fill specific roles for the rest of the season.

"You don't have to do the trade if you don't want to. The reason some people don't like it is there's an emotive side to the trade, but there's no difference to [it happening] at the end of the year," he told the Road to the Draft podcast last year.

"No one likes change generally. Our clubs like it as little as anyone. I think we'll get there on that (to have a mid-season trade period)."

However the League's new football operations manager Steve Hocking has been less bullish about the concept, saying it would breed extra uncertainty for players throughout the year.