A FORTHRIGHT Collingwood captain Nick Maxwell told the Seven Network's Game Day on Sunday that he has "no doubt" that his coach Mick Malthouse will remain at Collingwood beyond the 2011 season.

Malthouse's senior coaching role finishes at the end of October, when he will hand over to his assistant Nathan Buckley.

Despite the fact Malthouse is contracted to remain at Collingwood beyond this season, speculation rages that he will be coaching elsewhere in 2012, a year in which he will turn 59.

Maxwell said most of the speculation had come about because the transition between leaders was foreign to the AFL game.

"I think everyone thinks it's odd because it's never been done before," he said.

"Would he be coaching as well if he didn't have an expiry date on his coaching career?"

Maxwell said life went on as normal at Collingwood, although he admitted the team was "desperate as a group to send him off in a good way. He's provided so many of us with a football career.

"Let's hope he goes out at the top of his game.

"I have no doubt he'll be there in 2012. I have no doubt."

Pushed on this matter, he said that the success of the handover depended on the depth and strategic value of Malthouse's new job, as the man in the top office: "It depends on the role. And how everything works.

"One thing he's said he doesn't want to be looking over Nathan's shoulder. He wouldn't want that."

The most revealing part of the Malthouse mindset came towards the end of the conversation, a clear indication - via his captain - of Malthouse's view of the future. It was also revealing in describing the reality of coaching in this modern era of highly competitive teams, the salary cap, the draft, the need for excellence at all levels, and the oft forgotten need for patience.

"What he's also said to me (is): 'Look to go to a club it takes five, six, seven, eight years to get them where you want them, to get the right personnel around you, to get the right players there, to teach them the game plan and to get them going'.

"And I don't know if he wants to put in that much effort as well."

Maxwell said he was "sure" Malthouse would be asked to coach elsewhere, and such may already have happened: "So obviously he's going to be asked. I'm sure he's been asked by other clubs 'do you want to coach, can you coach our team?' That's a decision for him.

"Right now his sole focus is us and this year."

Buckley was a later guest on Game Day, and his view was just as revealing.

He told the panel, led in its questioning by Mark Robinson: "The deal the club has put in place is working very well at the moment.

"The proof will be in the pudding for how it goes in the next three and a half seasons. We're 18 months in and things are working very well."

Buckley said there was no chance the deal would be reversed, and said that it was important to understand that coaching is much deeper than any individual.

"The major issue comes from where it's a Mick Malthouse or a Nathan Buckley issue, but the fact is the club goes so much deeper than that - the personnel underneath Mick and around him and around us in the football department who do their jobs very well to enable what you see on match day each weekend.

"So it's not a one v one situation.” Buckley said.

"So for the five-year plan, it's all about the club, the football department as a whole, and there are things we are doing behind the scenes to make sure we're successful going forward.

"Now Mick is part of that, I'm a part of that, there are a whole lot of people who are part of that, and we're all in for the long-term success, and that's what we're looking to achieve."

It was a superb presentation of now and future by Buckley, and went a long way to explain why the Magpies were so keen to secure him as coach post-Malthouse; and also to retain Malthouse's experience and capacity beyond his tenure.

Geoff Slattery is the Managing Editor of AFL Media

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.