There are two clocks quietly ticking away in the background as each AFL senior coach toils through the season.

The first is Mick Malthouse's premiership clock, where a team can be primed to win a flag, rebuilding, coming into the "sweet spot" or moving out of it.

Then there's the countdown to when it's time to go.

Professional sporting coaches rarely leave of their own free will and it's a particularly volatile situation when nearly half of them in a league are about to come out of contract.

At the start of this year, Malthouse was among eight of 17 senior AFL coaches whose contracts will expire at the end of the season.

On the face of it, Malthouse's future is the most secure.

The succession plan at Collingwood gives the top job to loyal deputy Nathan Buckley in 2012 and puts Malthouse into a special role as their coaching director.

But that's before another club - or maybe clubs - inevitably asks Malthouse whether he is definitely done as a coach.

With so many senior coaches coming to the end of their current terms, it would be a miracle if Collingwood were the only club to make a change.

And especially if another Melbourne club decides it's time for a new coach, the feelers will surely go out to Malthouse, who has been getting the job done for 28 straight years since starting out at the Bulldogs in 1984.

Early last month, his long-time manager Peter Sidwell said Malthouse would honour the Collingwood succession plan.

That's the most likely option, but it doesn't alter the fact that the three-time premiership coach is a most wanted man.

As the season reaches round 10, here's the state of play.

NEIL CRAIG (Adelaide)

In March, the Crows took the radical step of taking Craig off contract and making him a member of staff. One of the main reasons was to kill the speculation about his future. It's been a turbulent season so far - the Showdown loss, the 96-point hammering from Melbourne and the massive fadeout against Collingwood mean Craig's detractors continue to call for his head. But Adelaide and Craig can handle the situation on their terms.

MICHAEL VOSS (Brisbane)

Most coaches with a 1-7 record in the last year of their contract would be forgiven for considering their career prospects. But the Lions are now in the midst of a full rebuild and there is speculation Voss will receive a new two-year deal to oversee it. Brisbane will also review the football department and clearly Voss needs more help. Further complicating the situation is that the triple premiership captain is a revered figure at the club.

BRETT RATTEN (Carlton)

The mission this year for Ratten is as simple as it is momentous - win a final. If the Blues do that, he probably wins a contract extension. After two elimination final losses, Ratten must take Carlton higher up the ladder. The only rider is that Carlton are the sort of club who could put an irresistible offer in front of Malthouse. Club chief executive Greg Swann also worked with Malthouse at Collingwood.

MICK MALTHOUSE (Collingwood)

The succession plan is in place. It's now a matter of figuring out the specifics of Malthouse's role - and for the man himself to decide whether to take one or two potential phone calls from other clubs seriously.

ALASTAIR CLARKSON (Hawthorn)

Right now, Clarkson is surely one of the safest bets to stay put. The Hawks are flying at 6-2 and looking every bit the top-four side they've wanted to be since the surprise 2008 premiership. But he has a fascinating dynamic with club president Jeff Kennett and after two tough seasons, Clarkson must capitalise on the strong start.

DEAN BAILEY (Melbourne)

Unless the Demons made a flying start to the year, Bailey was always going to be among those under the most pressure. After two wooden spoons and a 12th placing under Bailey, there's an expectation that Melbourne must show significant improvement on the back of a swag of high draft picks. The Demons are only one game outside the top eight and Adelaide found out to their cost that this team has some decent potential. But they need to be more consistent and keep developing. Bailey's relatively low profile hardly counts in his favour either.

JOHN WORSFOLD (West Coast)

The Eagles are this year's surprise team. After finishing bottom last season, they've won five out of eight and there's speculation about a contract extension for Worsfold. He said this week he's happy to wait until the end of the season to negotiate with the club. And they love the man who captained the club to the 1992 and 1994 flags and coached them to the 2006 triumph. Right now, he's safe.

RODNEY EADE (Western Bulldogs)

When the club president publicly apologises for the team's poor form, you're in trouble. The Eagles humiliated the Dogs by 123 points last Sunday, meaning Eade is the coach most under pressure right now. The preliminary finalists for the last three seasons started this year wanting a grand final berth, but for now they're not even top-eight material. If the season goes into freefall, the question becomes whether Eade is the right man to oversee the inevitable rebuild.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP