What makes Mick Malthouse tick?

The answer to that question would take up more column space than could ever be afforded this article, but Tracey Holmes has gone some way to doing so in a wide-ranging, revealing interview with the man for ABC Radio’s “The Ticket”.

In it, Malthouse discusses a plethora of issues including:

·      his formative years;

·      the highs and lows of office as a senior AFL coach;

·      the love and lure of the game;

·      the management of fellow coaches and the inherent trust in football people;

·      the secret to longevity in the coaching fraternity; and

·      the management of players

Malthouse, now closing in on Jock McHale’s all-time career coaching record, also talked about the support of his family and the importance of life balance, which he said had proved crucial to his on-going survival in the game as coach through three decades “and keeps me sane”.

“Football is very absorbing and if you let it take hold, and I’ve seen it with people before, they become brain dead, because they aren’t able to relate to anything else other than football,” Malthouse said.