The top six teams each year should be precluded from signing a free agent unless they were to lose a free agent, according to veteran football manager Geoff Walsh.

The bold suggestion by the North Melbourne football administrator has been put to the AFL as it battles with balancing free agency and equalisation.

Under the suggestion the Swans would have been unable to sign Lance Franklin after finishing fourth and the premiers Hawthorn would have been blocked from picking up James Frawley at the end of last season.

Hawthorn lost Franklin to Sydney without a player coming in during the free agency window in 2013. Hawthorn did not lose a free agent during the last exchange period in 2014 when they signed Frawley.

Interestingly under the proposed change Walsh's own club, North Melbourne, would have been unable to have signed Shaun Higgins as a restricted free agent from the Western Bulldogs and Jarrad Waite an unrestricted free agent from Carlton as the Roos finished fourth last year.