HAVING just walked away from the Brisbane Lions coaching position after a decade in the job, the push has started to get AFL legend Leigh Matthews involved in the fledging Gold Coast Football Club.

The Gold Coast has named former West Coast captain and Collingwood assistant coach Guy McKenna as its coach and former Western Bulldogs recruiting manager Scott Clayton will build its first list and take it into its first draft in 2010, in which the club has nine of the first 15 picks and the first selection in every subsequent round.

Yesterday, AFL national development manager David Matthews, who has overseen much of the club's development, said a role for Leigh Matthews should be on the agenda.

"I think that the Gold Coast, even in the last few days, is on the record as saying he is someone with the experience that might be able to provide, at the very least, some good advice about how they should go about setting up the club," David Matthews said. "… I am sure as the dust settles and the Gold Coast starts to think how they best go about the remainder of their board and the consultants and management positions they require, they will look far and wide.

"But (Leigh Matthews) is somebody who is a significant figure in Queensland football, probably the most significant, and he has done an understanding job."

With the Gold Coast also allowed to sign 16 uncontracted players, David Matthews said the AFL would "guard against" a scenario in which players were announcing mid-season they had decided to switch to the new franchise — a practice common in rugby league.

"While you respect there has to be mechanisms to allow some players to move, I think that is pretty unsavoury, some of the things that go on mid-season," he told the ABC.

"What we might do is slightly alter the trade period and even bring the national draft forward because what we should think about is that the Gold Coast at the end of 2010 has a pretty short time space to bring these players together and prepare for round one (of 2011)."

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire pointed to Leigh Matthews' long-time relationship with Graeme Downie, a former chairman of the Lions who is now a committee member for the consortium seeking the Gold Coast licence, saying: "If Leigh decides to stay in Queensland, you would be mad not to use him in some shape or form."