BRAD Scott will coach Collingwood in Friday night's NAB Cup grand final against Geelong, despite offering to stand aside for main man Mick Malthouse.

Malthouse has employed a rotation policy with his assistants throughout the pre-season and Scott said he gave his 55-year-old boss a chance to renege on the decision and take on the top job for the decider against the Cats.

"I gave [Malthouse] that option," Scott said on Monday.

"I spoke to him after the game (on Friday) and suggested that it would be no skin off my nose if he chose to take the reins as it's a big game for the club and he's the senior coach. It's absolutely his prerogative,"

"He's happy for me to do it so hopefully that's a vote of confidence in me."

The former Brisbane Lion, who played 168 games - including 22 with Hawthorn – between 1997 and 2006 has never called the shots from the head coach's chair before.

He said he'll hope to show tendencies made famous by four-time premiership coach Leigh Matthews as well as Malthouse when he takes command of the side at Docklands.

"I think I can't help but be influenced by Leigh; he was my coach for the majority of my career," Scott said.

"If I can take anything from Leigh Matthews, it's going to be a positive.

"I think there will be a little bit (from Matthews) but my coaching development has been a lot more about Michael Malthouse.

"He's been a great mentor for me and I've learned a lot from him in the last two or three years."

An assistant since 2007, 32-year-old Scott said he is relishing the challenge of taking on the main job, but expects to feel a fair deal of extra weight on his shoulders.

"It's very easy to sit, even as an assistant coach, in the secondary seat and think about the decisions that have to be made, but when you're put on the spot and the final decision rests with you, that's a lot of pressure," he said.

"You have to think on your feet and make those decisions quickly.

"So far, Mark Neeld, Paul Hudson and Blake Caracella have done a fantastic job, and I think it is credit to Mick that he feels comfortable with those guys taking up that role and him taking a back seat.

"I think it's been refreshing for the players too to hear different voices at times."

Malthouse will again roam the boundary as his deputy runs the show and Scott said the Magpies are expecting Geelong to also take on the "dress rehearsal" mentality this week and field a strong side.

"Without a doubt, and no disrespect for Hawthorn winning a premiership last year, Geelong has proved to be the benchmark over the past two years," he said.

"They're the team that we're looking to test ourselves against and hopefully [Jimmy] Bartel and [Joel] Selwood and [Andrew] Mackie and [Corey] Enright if they're available will all come back in and they play their best side.

"Then we can test ourselves and see where we're at against some of the best players in the competition."

Scott threw his support behind the NAB Cup concept and emphasised his belief that sides who contest the competition's decider often go on to have successful home-and-away campaigns.

"The form line of the NAB Cup over the last seven or eight years has shown that probably, apart from Hawthorn, every other side that has either won a premiership or been runner up has played in a NAB Cup grand final," he said.

"Back at my time at Brisbane, they played off in one, Port Adelaide won two, Geelong and West Coast have played off in one.

"All the good sides who had success in the home-and-away period have been around about in a NAB Cup at some stage.

"I think it's a good form line for what's up ahead."