Malthouse and Buckley move on
NOW THAT the most debated succession plan since the aborted John Howard-Peter Costello prime ministerial baton change has finally taken place, we can all move on.

Certainly, Mick Malthouse and Nathan Buckley have.

The 58-year-old Malthouse has been adamant for some time that he would not coach at another club next season and, more recently, went further, saying he would never coach again.

Many had their doubts about this. Many suspected Malthouse's keen competitive instincts would drag him back into the coach's box at some stage. Especially after he was denied a fairytale finish in last Saturday's Grand Final.

But AAP reported on Wednesday night that Malthouse confirmed he was unlikely to work full-time again at an AFL club - in any role. In fact, he seems more interested in working with the Australian cricket team as a consultant.

Speaking at the launch of his new book The Ox is Slow but the Earth is Patient in Perth, Malthouse was asked about the prospect of working with our men's cricket team as Cricket Australia prepares to revamp its coaching structure in the wake of the Argus Report.

"I'd love that. I don't know whether it would be on the agenda [but] it would certainly be something I would consider," Malthouse said.

"I certainly won't be involved in a football club. I see that chapter's finished right now."

As far-fetched as the idea of Malthouse working alongside Michael Clarke and Mitch Johnson may seem, it's worth remembering former Australian women's hockey coach Ric Charlesworth once worked as a high-performance consultant to Fremantle. Whatever the sport, experience at the elite level is transferable.

Meanwhile, Buckley has been front and centre at the NAB AFL Combine at Etihad Stadium this week. The Magpies new coach was plastered across the back page of The Age's sports section, smiling as he surveyed the action at the Combine.

And Buckley told the Herald Sun he was ready to take over the Magpies' coaching reins, saying his planning for 2012 was well advanced.

Buckley also said he had all the support he needed to lead Collingwood into a new era, with newly appointed coaching director Rodney Eade and the Pies recruiting staff headed by Derek Hine.   

Trade watch
There's no such thing as a certainty in trade week, but it seemed Mitch Clark swapping in his Brisbane Lions jumper for a Freo one was this year's safest trade bet.

The West Australian, who turns 24 on October 19, wants to return home after six seasons in Brisbane. Fremantle was quick to state its interest and nothing's changed since Ross Lyon replaced Mark Harvey as coach.

West Coast, on the other hand, was more coy. Few were surprised. After all, the Eagles boast more tall timber than the Daintree, with ruckmen Dean Cox and Nic Naitanui, and forwards Quinten Lynch, Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling. 

However, it seems Brad Ebert's decision to pursue a move home to South Australia has convinced the Eagles to make a play for Clark.

The Australian's Greg Denham now sees the Eagles as the frontrunners to snare Clark. According to Denham, Ebert's imminent departure will give the Eagles the room in their salary cap to accommodate Clark's salary, while the Lions list manager Rob Kerr told him the Eagles had been "more proactive" in trying to meet their demands.

Denham wrote that the Lions want "a quality player and a suitable draft selection" in return for Clark.  Fremantle has told the Lions backup ruckman Zac Clarke is untouchable and despite some reports, the Lions have no interest in defender Paul Duffield, Denham wrote.

The Herald Sun's Jay Clark also linked West Coast with Clark, reporting that it was trying to broker a three-way trade in which it would snare Clark and Queensland-born Adelaide forward Kurt Tippett would head to the Lions. Clark did not say what Adelaide would get as part of the deal.

If might seem logical that Ebert would be, at least, part of the proposed compensation for Tippett. However, the Crows' interest in Ebert seems lukewarm, especially given the 21-year-old midfielder has nominated Port Adelaide as his preferred new home.

The Advertiser reported that Adelaide had all but ruled itself out of the running for Ebert. Adelaide list manager David Noble told the paper: "He's a very good player but we have other priorities at the moment anyway. Unless something changes, I'd expect Port to be the main player for him."

In other trade news:

Geelong is unlikely to consider trade offers for its premiership stars but defender Tom Gillies and midfielder Simon Hogan could depart the Cattery: Herald Sun.

Despite reports of a looming trade to Port Adelaide, Freo has told ruckman Jonathon Griffin he is a required player. The Power are now pursuing Hawthorn ruckman Brent Renouf: The Australian.

Collingwood premiership player Brent Macaffer wants to stay put, but has yet to start contract negotiations with the Magpies and could become trade bait next week: Herald Sun.

Players could boycott NAB Cup
As the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations drag on, the Herald Sun's Michael Warner reports that the players could refuse to play in next year's NAB Cup if they are unable to strike a deal with the AFL.

Warner reported that the AFLPA and AFL would hold talks on Thursday in a bid to sign off on the 2012-16 CBA, but suggested "the prospect of industrial action or a Supreme Court challenge has never been greater".

According to Warner, about 95 per cent of the AFL's 800 players have signed documents authorising the AFLPA to take their pay claim to industrial tribunal Fair Work Australia.

AFLPA chief executive Matt Finnis told SEN radio he was disappointed at a letter the AFL sent to the 18 clubs on Tuesday saying it would set the 2012 salary cap figure next Monday if the CBA had not been signed.

Meanwhile, AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson told The Age the AFLPA had been "inconsistent" on a key part of the CBA negotiations, raising a recent claim for $20 million of travel, accommodation and other entitlements that it had previously indicated would be absorbed in the $1.1 billion offer the AFL put forward last month.

The Age wrote that Finnis had refuted Anderson's assertion, with the parties' only common ground their shared belief that the negotiations had gone backwards recently.

In short
Two-time Coleman medallist Brendan Fevola might play in the SANFL next season if overlooked in the AFL draft period, The Advertiser reports. Adelaide's daily paper wrote that West Adelaide, now home to Fevola's former Carlton teammates Brad Fisher and Adam Hartlett, is considering making a play for the former Blue and Brisbane Lion.

Jed Bews did work experience in Geelong's recruiting department this year as he strove to convince the Cats to take him as a father-son pick in November's NAB AFL Draft, The Age's Emma Quayle reports. The son of former captain Andrew, the 17-year-old has yet to receive a commitment from the Cats that they will select him in next Monday's father-son mini-draft.

Gold Coast has re-signed defender Rory Thompson, one of the two remaining players acquired under their start-up local talent concessions, to a new two-year deal, The Gold Coast Bulletin reports. Thompson, 200cm, struggled in the first half of last season as a ruckman/forward with the Suns reserves, but later played eight AFL games after assistant coach Shaun Hart suggested he move into defence.  

When North Melbourne plays its first home game in Hobart next year it will do so at Blundstone Oval, with the Tasmanian bootmaker claiming the ground-naming rights to Bellerive Oval under a sponsorship deal to be announced on Thursday morning.

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.