MICK Malthouse can't wait until the celebratory game marking his AFL coaching games record is over, saying the build-up has been "nothing more than a burden".
Malthouse will pass former Collingwood coach Jock McHale's 65-year-old record when he coaches his 715th game in round five.
Before the release of the 2015 fixture, the AFL offered Malthouse the honour of choosing Carlton's opponent in that game and the three-time premiership coach chose Collingwood, the club he led from 2000-2011.
Malthouse thanked the AFL on Tuesday for recognising his career in a way he "would never have dreamed of".
But he said having been placed in such a privileged position was stressful.
"Believe me this has been nothing more than a burden," Malthouse said.
"I'm not trying to be falsely humble or anything like that – it's been a total burden.
"I wish [McHale] had have gone on and coached another 100 games so [his record] was never going to be broken because then it wouldn't have been an issue.
"It's good for Carlton and it's good for the players, but the sooner it gets over and done with the better."
Malthouse downplayed suggestions by Collingwood CEO Gary Pert that the round five game might help mend fences between him and his former club.
Malthouse handed the Collingwood coaching reins to Nathan Buckley at the end of 2011 under a succession plan orchestrated by Pies president Eddie McGuire.
He had agreed to continue for another three years at Collingwood as the coaching director, but left the club almost as soon as his senior coaching reign ended.
Malthouse suggested his relationships with former Collingwood colleagues were not in need of repair, saying he had simply moved on as "a professional football person".
"Rightly or wrongly I have a very small rear-view mirror. Mistakenly at times, I don't look back," he said.
The Carlton coach said the first thing he had done after learning he could choose his round five opponent was to ask the Blues' chief financial officer what was best for Carlton.
Not surprisingly, Collingwood's ability to pull a crowd gave it the bean-counter's nod.
Malthouse was also determined that the game had to honour McHale's achievements over his 1912-49 reign at Collingwood, making the Magpies the perfect fit.
The former Footscray (now Western Bulldogs) and West Coast coach was mindful too that he had spent more time at Collingwood than either of those clubs and the two clubs he played for, St Kilda and Richmond.
However, Malthouse was at pains to say that in choosing Collingwood he had not intended to snub any of his other former clubs.
"Each club I owe something to, no more or no less than any one club," he said.
