Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse has warned applicants for the Gold Coast coaching job to sign on for at least three years.

The Gold Coast consortium is set to enter a team in TAC Cup next season, then the VFL the following year before graduating to the AFL in 2011.

Malthouse believes whoever coaches the club through the two lead-up years should be guaranteed the job in the Gold Coast's inaugural AFL season.

"Be very, very cautious of signing a two-year contract," Malthouse said

"If its good enough for Michael Voss to be offered three, if it's good enough for an untried coach to be offered three, surely it's good enough for a proven assistant coach to be offered three."

"And I mean three, meaning the third year he's the senior coach."

"It's a lot of punt work by blokes unless they get offered that three years - you dont want to be setting it up for someone else and 'see you later'."

Collingwood assistant Guy McKenna is believed to be a front-runner for the job of coaching the leagues 17th team, with the selection committee to start interviewing candidates next week.

Malthouse fully endorsed anyone within his coaching staff going for the position but intamated McKenna was ready for the Gold Coast coaching position.

"Guy is my direct assistant and he is very good at what he does," Malthouse said.

McKenna has been at the Magpies since 2004 after stints as an assistant at West Coast and at Claremont where he was the senior coach.

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