IF FREE agency is going to stay the top clubs on the ladder should be banned from taking part and compensation picks should be scrapped, Carlton coach Mick Malthouse says.

 

Malthouse believes the existing free agency model is fast creating a two-tiered competition where strong clubs rob players from weaker clubs.

 

Since free agency's introduction ahead of the 2012 season, struggling on-field clubs Melbourne and St Kilda have lost five players between them, with Jared Rivers, Colin Sylvia and James Frawley leaving the Dees and Brendon Goddard and Nick Dal Santo leaving the Saints.

 

All bar Dal Santo, who joined a North Melbourne team with exciting on-field prospects, went to strong clubs near the top of the ladder.

 

Free agency rules allow any club to make an offer for an opposition free agent and reward clubs who lose players in this way with compensation draft picks.

 

Malthouse has long been an outspoken critic of this system but told AFL.com.au free agency could work more fairly with two major adjustments.

"If it's going to stay, free agency is supposed to be free agency, so number one there should be no reward for losing a player," Malthouse said.

 

"That way you're not then compounding the problem for the other clubs who are being pushed back in the draft (by compensation picks). If you lose a player, you lose a player.

 

"Number two, the first four, five, maybe six clubs of that year should be banned from picking up a free agent. 

 

"We're seeing free agency – no matter how you colour it, how you talk it up from the Players' Association point of view or any place like that – will create a two-tiered system.

 

"As clubs, you do all the hard work and you lose a player (through free agency). But if the top six clubs – it might be more and it might be slightly less – cannot participate that year then you might start to see free agency work the right way."

 

Malthouse's proposal is partly based on his experience of the AFL's short-lived 10-year rule during the early 1970s.

 

That rule allowed North Melbourne to pick up stars with at least 10 years' experience at other clubs including Barry Davis (Essendon), John Rantall (South Melbourne) and Doug Wade (North Melbourne) who helped carry the club to its first VFL premiership.

 

"That was a type of free agency that marginalised clubs or, let's put it this way, created a two-tiered system," Malthouse said.

 

"When North Melbourne couldn't win a premiership, hadn't won a premiership, all of a sudden there was a 10-year program.

 

"As soon as North won its premierships it became obvious that clubs could utilise it that way and all of a sudden there was no 10-year rule."

 

A working party of player, club and AFL representatives is reviewing free agency, but it is believed any changes to the existing system are unlikely before the end of 2016.

 

The AFL Players' Association is, among other things, pushing to cut the minimum eligibility period from eight to six years.

 

Malthouse said that proposal would mean clubs were not adequately rewarded for the huge amount of development work they pore into players.

 

"Let's cut to the chase, at the PA none of those people have been in a club environment where they've coached and have had to work their guts out to get a player from 18, 19 when they're babes to 22, 23 when they're starting to play good football for a club," Malthouse said.

 

"You put a massive amount of effort, funds and human resources into those players and if you're going to go from eight to six years (minimum eligibility) let's just get rid of it totally then.

 

"As soon as you're out of contract, you're a free agent – and we'll see how it works then."