Collingwood’s outgoing coach Mick Malthouse yesterday ended speculation where he’ll coach next year: nowhere. “You say no, and someone says perhaps. But I’m saying there’s no perhaps – this is a no”. Emphatic.

The AFL won’t be the same without the 58-year-old with his distinguished grey hair, and his passion for the biggest and most watched sport in Australia.

Malthouse proved that last Friday night when he burst into tears in the coaching box after his Magpies came from 17 points down in the final quarter against Hawthorn to book a berth in the grand final against Geelong.

Dripping emotion for “his” Magpies, and that’s exactly what they are. It will be Malthouse’s seventh decider – three with the West Coast Eagles in 10 years, and three with Collingwood in 12 years.

Premierships? Two with the Eagles in 1992 and 1994, and last year with the Magpies, their first since 1990.

Malthouse will be feeling pretty confident about Saturday, he has history on his side, his teams unbeaten by Geelong in grand finals.

When Malthouse was in Perth, his Eagles played two against Geelong, and won them both – by 28 and 61 points.

So where does Mick Malthouse slot into Australia’s sporting history?

* As a solid defender for St Kilda and Richmond from 1972 to 1983, he played 174 games, a Richmond premiership winner in 1980.

* Coached Footscray from 1984 to 1989 – 135 games for 67 wins – 49.63%.

* Coached West Coast Eagles from 1990 to 1999 – 243 games, 156 wins – 64.8%

* And coached Collingwood from 2000 until next Saturday – so far 285 games, 163 wins – 57.19%

* All up 663 games, 386 wins, at 58.22%.

* That places Malthouse second on the all-time list of coaching most VFL-AFL games behind another Collingwood legend, Botany (NSW) born Jock McHale’s 714 games, with 467 wins at 65.41%, from 1912 to 1949, that included eight premierships among 17 deciders.

* Third on the all-time list is Essendon’s Kevin Sheedy with 634 games, 386 wins, 60.89% from 1981 to 2007, including four premierships among seven grand finals. But Sheedy will eventually overtake Malthouse once Greater Western Sydney is up and running as the newest AFL club on the block.

That stamps Mick Malthouse as an icon in Australia’s sporting history.

Only rugby league’s Wayne Bennett and Tim Sheens can compete, and in some cases even beat, those seriously big numbers in the 18-man game:

* Bennett (61) has coached the Raiders, Broncos, and Dragons for 656 games, 420 wins, 64.03% – seven premierships.

* And Sheens (60) with the Panthers, Raiders, Cowboys, and Wests-Tigers for 643 games, 328 wins, 55.68% – with four premierships.

Outstanding stats. but spare a thought for these ironmen of sport.

Sure they are doing exactly what they want to do, but their waking hours are consumed by keeping 30-plus players happy and switched on, devising new tactics and implementing them, watching hour after hour of video replays, then sitting in the coach’s box with their nerves frayed to a frazzle, watching a week of training unfold, and he can’t do a damn thing about it.

It’s a mighty tough gig, that impacts on family life as well. It’s high-profile, but it’s also high risk waiting for the axe to fall.

Mick Malthouse is a survivor because he’s managed to deal with the downsides, and still win.

Hopefully he will be back in the coach’s box sooner than later. And at 58 he has plenty of time on his side to be selective.

One thing for sure, the AFL cannot afford to be without him in the public eye.