Free agency plays into the hands of the AFL's powerful clubs and could create a two-tiered competition of haves and have-nots like the English Premier League, Carlton coach Mick Malthouse says.
And the three-time premiership coach says the AFL Players' Association is "kidding themselves" in pushing to reduce the minimum free agency qualification period from eight to six years, saying that would only further marginalise the AFL's weaker clubs.
"Free agency creates a two-tiered system," Malthouse told reporters on Wednesday.
"Make no mistake about it, free agency will only aid the top sides.
"There's going to be a rarity [for a free agent to go to] a bottom side because at that age players want to play in finals.
"If they look down the ladder and think, 'I might be the next saviour but it's going to be a long time, (they'll decide) I'm not going there'.
"But players from down there will look up and think, 'I'm a bit jack of being in the middle range and I can get a game for Hawthorn, Collingwood, Geelong or whatever because they're near the top, that's where I'm going'."
In free agency's first two years, Brendon Goddard and Nick Dal Santo left a St Kilda team in decline to respectively join emerging Essendon and North Melbourne teams.
Melbourne free agent James Frawley is facing a similar choice at the end of this season, with powerhouse clubs such as Hawthorn, Geelong and Fremantle among his suitors.
However, strong clubs have also lost players to free agency, with Hawthorn losing Lance Franklin to the Sydney Swans at the end of last season.
Under Malthouse, the Blues were able to entice Dale Thomas from Collingwood last year, but then lost Eddie Betts to Adelaide.
Malthouse said the AFLPA's push for players to become free agents from the end of their sixth seasons showed it did not understand how hard it was for clubs to develop and retain players.
"The players' association have got to be kidding themselves if they think it's got to be six years," Malthouse said.
"You put so much time into these players. It takes a couple of years before you see any development at all and then four years later after you've got that player going they're going to say they're a free agent.
"This is a simple case of the (AFLPA) not understanding the mechanics of how hard it is for football clubs to retain good footballers and have a chance to build up and get up the ladder."
