AFL players risk creating a league in which the poorer clubs are severely handicapped in the premiership race, if they are not cautious about their pay demands, Essendon chairman David Evans believes.

Evans said the off-field strength of the current top four on the AFL ladder - Collingwood, Geelong, Carlton and Hawthorn - underlined the clear link between off-field strength and on-field success.

He said the difficulty the poorer clubs had in competing with richer rivals would be magnified if the salary increases players are seeking meant there was less money left over for clubs.

The AFL players' association is seeking a fixed 25-27 per cent of revenue to be locked in for players, a proposal that is firmly opposed by the league, which has won the backing of all club presidents for its stance.

"The players' association's push for significantly increased player payments have the potential to send clubs into some very difficult times," Evans said at a club function at Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

"We wouldn't have a game without the players and no one is begrudging them for a fair deal.

"But they do need to appreciate the current environment and ensure they act with a great deal of caution.

"Put simply, if we are not careful over the next few years, the gap between the haves and the have-nots will widen even further and the competition as we currently know it will have to be dramatically re-structured."

Evans said the AFL was already effectively a "two-tiered" competition and the AFL's recently-announced $1.253 billion broadcast deal for the next five years should not overshadow the tough financial situations faced by some clubs.

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