AS OF 7.50pm tonight, two of football’s most famous records will be held by men from North Ballarat who began their VFL careers wearing number 37 for St Kilda.

As the AFL’s goals record-holder, Tony Lockett stands out as an icon of the game but possibly the only football stat as impressive as Lockett’s 1360 goals is Jock McHale’s 714 games as a senior coach – a baton that will be passed over to Mick Malthouse when he settles into the Carlton coaches box this evening.

Malthouse arrived at St Kilda in 1972, a year after the club’s Grand Final loss to Hawthorn. It was a tough team to break into, particularly for players of Malthouse’s size and build as the Saints were well stocked for mid-sized defenders and forwards.

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After 53 games and five goals in five years at St Kilda, Malthouse moved to Richmond where he played another 121 games including the 1980 premiership win.

But it wasn’t until after his playing days came to an end that Malthouse’s definitive contribution to the game of Australian football began with a coaching career spanning Footscray, West Coast, Collingwood and Carlton that tonight will see him coach his 715th game and become the sport’s longest-serving coach.

The list of people he has influenced throughout his time in football is seemingly endless, having worked with hundreds of people along the way including St Kilda coach Alan Richardson who worked on the Collingwood coaching staff from 2006 to 2008.

Richardson recently spoke of his memories of working alongside Malthouse, pointing out that it was when preparing for the season ahead that coaches and players would get a true understanding of what made Mick tick.

“It was at training camps where you would spend the most time with him,” Richardson said.

“That was when you would impart on your team that this is what we want to stand for and his ability to get teams to play for each other and create this incredible spirit that most of teams played with often were born out of moments like training camps.

“He was very challenging and very demanding on those camps. He was often someone who would lead from the front on activities such as hikes. It was there that players were able to spend time with him and see that he had enormous energy and passion for them as people and as players.”

Richardson said it was no fluke that Malthouse had lasted as long as he had in a role not known for longevity.

“I think Mick has been so successful over such a long period because of his passion and enthusiasm for football. He loves the game, he loves working with young men,” Richardson said.

“He has been able to stay up to speed with the game and in some aspects be able to shape the way the game is played with respect to defensive press and rotations. But it is his enthusiasm and passion for the game that in my opinion has kept him so successful for such a long time.

St Kilda President Peter Summers extended his congratulations to Malthouse on an achievement that last changed hands in 1927 and may never be surpassed in any of our lifetimes.

"As the club where Mick started his VFL/AFL career on behalf of everyone at the Saints I would like to congratulate him on this milestone and we wish him all the best for the match," Summers said.

It has been almost 40 years since Malthouse was involved in an official capacity with St Kilda but connection to the club remains in a number of ways.

After the club’s match against Carlton in Wellington, New Zealand last week Malthouse congratulated the club on the New Zealand venture, acknowledging that St Kilda was still close to his heart in many ways.

Members of the club’s coaching, recruiting and commercial staff have all worked with him in some form while his son-in-law Simon Kearney has been St Kilda’s Sports Science Manager since 2012.

His is an achievement like no other and all at St Kilda congratulate Mick Malthouse.