ST KILDA coach Alan Richardson has joined the growing chorus of support for the introduction of a draft lottery, saying it could alleviate a lot of the "noise" that some of the AFL's bottom teams aren't "trying".

A lottery system like the one used in America's NBA has been proposed for the AFL before, but Collingwood CEO Gary Pert revived the concept this week, suggesting the order of the NAB AFL Draft's first four selections should be randomly determined this way.

Melbourne coach Paul Roos threw his support behind Pert's suggestion on Wednesday, yet suspected there would still be suspicions under a lottery system about whether teams were tanking to finish in the bottom four.

The AFL's bottom two teams Fremantle and Essendon play on Saturday in Perth, with the loser improving its chances of claiming the No.1 pick at this year's draft.

The Dockers sit in last spot on the table with a 0-10 record, leading some people to suggest the club is tanking in a bid to gain the No.1 draft pick at season's end.

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon says it would damage his club for years if they tank for early AFL draft picks.

Richardson told reporters on Thursday he did not like the "noise around our competition" questioning whether some teams were trying and felt a draft lottery could help solve the problem.

"I think teams are trying, but just the noise and the constant focus on that, I don't think it's good for our game," Richardson said.

"I think there's a chance that the lottery would alleviate a lot of that."

Under Pert's proposal, the wooden-spooner could finish with the No.4 draft pick as opposed to the No.1 pick it receives under the existing reverse-ladder-order system of allocating selections.

In the NBA, the lower a team finishes the more balls it is given in the lottery, increasing its chances of getting the No.1 pick.

Richardson said if a lottery disadvantaged a team in desperate need of draft assistance, the AFL could use its discretionary power to award that club a priority pick on top of its lottery selection.

"If there is a team that's been struggling for a period of time, worst case scenario if it got pick four in the draft then the AFL would have the ability to come over the top of that, not change that (lottery result), but then reward another selection, whether that be early in the first round or later in the first round," the Saints coach said.

"So that makes a bit of sense to me."