CTV > Josh Fraser & Rhyce Shaw Tuesday press conference

COLLINGWOOD ruckman Josh Fraser believes the AFL should consider changing the rules so umpires need only bounce the ball at the start of each quarter, and not throughout the game in the centre or at stoppages.

Fraser's words come in the wake of Collingwood's narrow loss to North Melbourne and a controversial errant bounce late in the game which directly led to a goal for the Kangaroos.

The 26-year-old said that, while he doesn't have a "strong opinion" on the bounce or on the specific one he described as almost as bad as some he faced in junior football, he offered the league a solution to the problem of wayward bounces.

"I'm a bit sympathetic towards the umpires because it's a pretty hard skill to master," Fraser said on Tuesday.

"We muck around out on the track trying to bounce the footy, and 'Shawy' [Rhyce Shaw] is probably the best at it out of us.

"It's not easy, so maybe just to alleviate some of that pressure from them, bounce it at the start of each quarter and then throw it up.

"I like the tradition of the bounce, but take that pressure of those guys and let them focus in on umpiring the match."

The club's vice-captain wouldn't blame umpire Damien Sully's crooked bounce for Saturday night's loss, and said the Magpies' lack of consistency was a bigger factor in the result.

"You go back through the tape and there were a lot of incidents where we cost ourselves," he said.

"It would be a long bow to draw to point the finger at that bounce, I reckon.

"I think we're playing some pretty good football in patches, but that's the worrying thing - it's only been in patches.

"We haven't been able to string four-quarter efforts together and that in itself is a little bit worrying. We're addressing that as a group. We don't think there's any glaring weaknesses there.

"We just think right across the board we need a sustained effort across four quarters to start getting the results we need."

Fraser said the Pies' arduous pre-season, which involved a South African community camp and an NAB Cup match in Dubai could also be a reason why the players are playing in spurts.

He also said Anthony Rocca's absence from training on Tuesday was simply part of managing the big man after such a tiresome summer program.

"It's been a long campaign for us, and I think going to Dubai and playing the game and then leading into the start of the season, we've had some pretty solid matches," he said.

"The club is pretty good, our fitness and conditioning staff try to manage the guys as best they can, and I daresay there will be another couple of players next week they'll give a freshen up to."

Fraser said captain Scott Burns, who put himself through a very light session on Tuesday, will be given another opportunity to prove his fitness ahead of the Anzac Day clash with Essendon later in the week.

"He didn't do a hell of a lot [at training], but we've still got to train on Thursday and I daresay they'll assess him again tomorrow and give him every chance to play."