In a major boost for foundation mentor Guy McKenna, new Gold Coast board member Malcolm Blight urged the budding AFL franchise to maintain coaching stability in their formative years.

After his appointment was announced by GCFC chairman John Witheriff on Tuesday, Blight wasted no time settling in, saying it would make sense to retain McKenna for their official 2011 AFL debut.

Officially, Gold Coast CEO Travis Auld will decide the fate of McKenna - whose contract expires at the end of next season - by mid-2010.

But Blight all but anointed McKenna as the man to take them into their historic first AFL season.

For good measure, Blight - a two-time Adelaide premiership coach - will act as a mentor for McKenna as part of his hands-on role at the club.

"I admire Guy for putting his hand up to be here, he took up a tremendous challenge," Blight said.

"And as a football club I think we should support everything he does from here on in.

"Stability for a club is very important.

"We have got to learn from other clubs and codes - if we can keep things stable we have got more of a chance to be successful earlier."

Blight - also a two-time premiership player and the 1978 Brownlow medallist - conceded it would be tough to ditch McKenna on the eve of their AFL debut after doing the "hard yards".

"Guy was the best candidate at the time," Blight said.

"And chopping and changing is not ideal.

"The ideal position is that we develop this young group and Guy takes us through (to the AFL debut season)."

McKenna - a former West Coast star player and Collingwood assistant coach - is currently grooming a young Gold Coast side in the TAC Cup (under 18s) competition.

As part of his new role, Blight also wanted to oversee the club's player recruitment.

Adelaide forward and Gold Coast product Kurt Tippett is expected to be high on their hit list.

Blight revealed their simple wish list on Tuesday.

"I reckon the first 10 placegetters in the Brownlow Medal this year, and I would also like the best and fairest at every club," he laughed.

"Look, there's a whole lot of water to go under the bridge but the club has a responsibility to Gold Coast people to get the best people available."

He hoped his recruitment would help sell the idea of moving to Queensland to potential recruits.

Asked what kind of player the club could realistically coax north, Blight said: "A young guy perhaps from Queensland coming home, and someone who had done quite a bit in footy and was looking for a new challenge - a bit like what Chris Judd has done.

"But everyone has a different motivation for moving."

Blight - based in far north Queensland - will attend his first GCFC board meeting on Tuesday night.

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