The Gold Coast outfit is expected to join the competition in 2011 and there has been recent speculation that its draft concessions may include priority access to the best young talent in the country.
Malthouse wouldn't pass judgment on the assumed allowances, but made very clear his case for the 16 existing clubs and the need for each and every one to act in its best interests.
Reference was made to the introduction of the Brisbane Bears and West Coast Eagles in 1987, two clubs which signalled the growth of the competition beyond Victoria but had contrasting success.
Malthouse left Footscray to coach the Eagles for 10 seasons from 1990 to 1999, leading them to the finals every year for premierships in 1992 and 1994. The struggling Brisbane outfit didn't flourish until a merge with Fitzroy in 1997.
"The most important thing of it though, is that two sides were introduced in '87 and one played off in finals in two or three seasons and the other one was dragged along the ground for a long, long time," he said on Friday.
"People within the clubs couldn't care less, quite frankly. They were interested in themselves and so they should be, because this is the job that [they're] employed for – [mine is] to make sure Collingwood is highly competitive and winning games of football.
"As a football purist ... it's most important that you have a side that's going to be competitive, but not at the expense of other sides within the competition that have worked so hard over a long, long period of time to establish themselves. It's very, very much a fine balancing act by the AFL to get it right."
From West Coast's maiden premiership in 1992 through to its third in 2006, Essendon (1993, 2000), Carlton (1995) and North Melbourne (1996, 1999) were the only Victorian clubs to win flags.
The Brisbane Lions, however, swelled to become a modern dynasty – winning three straight premierships across 2001, 2002 and 2003.
Malthouse also highlighted the strength of Sydney - which re-located from South Melbourne for the 1982 season and claimed its first premiership in 72 years in 2005.
"It's amazing, when we're saying '87 that Brisbane came into it, in the 2000s – so we're looking at 13-odd years – they were the all powerful three-premiership side and perhaps could have won their fourth," Malthouse said. "Things do turn around pretty quickly in football terms. In coaches terms and perhaps committees terms, and perhaps even older players, they want instant success at their own football club and they really don't care too much about where the Gold Coast is going to finish or West Sydney or whatever the case is.
"But if you've got a long-term thought process about this, then it will mature and players will get old and they'll get more mature, they'll get the right coach, they'll get the committee together, they'll get their finances in order and they'll get a supporter base that will represent them well and it will come together.
"They moved Sydney - way, way, way back - and Sydney have now not been out of the finals for a number of years," he continued. "West Coast have won premierships, Port have won a premiership, Adelaide have won premiership[s], Fremantle have been in the finals.
"In overall terms, in year terms, it'll mature and it'll be okay. It's just the initial part of it. I just don't know whether we want a very weak side. [We] also don't want a weakened two or three sides here in the competition, Melbourne-based sides basically, to actually enhance the prospects of a Gold Coast side. It's a balancing act, I don't really envy the AFL. They'll be damned if they do and damned if they don't."
Malthouse, through Magpies fixtures and community projects, has witnessed first-hand the hunger shown by supporters in both areas.
It's a passion that speaks volumes, he believes.
"The Gold Coast, when we played there, there's little love for Brisbane," he said. "They were either North Melbourne or Collingwood or Carlton or Essendon or whatever. They could be converted across to that Gold Coast side.
"Western Sydney, when we did our community camps out there, there was not a lot of love for Sydney whatsoever. Because in fairness to Sydney, it's pretty hard to cover the whole of Sydney and put your feelers out and make sure everyone wants to be part of Sydney. They see themselves – it is the biggest council or shire in Australia ... distinctly different to Sydney. I don't think there's real worry about getting a good supporter base out at western Sydney.
"There's a lot of people who live out there and a lot of people who follow the football. It doesn't take long. We all scoffed about the Sydney game[s]. There was hardly anyone there [early on], let's face it. Now you can't get tickets ... which is fantastic.
"We all want to see it succeed. I think they've picked two markets that can."
