Malthouse v Ling
Footage emerged of the Carlton coach Malt blasting commentator Cameron Ling at halftime of Saturday night's game against Sydney.
But when Mick was doorstopped on Monday night (before the footage was aired on Talking Footy), he denied aiming the spray at Ling, saying it was directed at Seven's cameramen.
"I get on very well with Cameron Ling. He misinterpreted that I was talking to him; it certainly wasn't him," he told reporters before the footage was aired on Monday night.
But when you consider Ling's reply: "Don't you talk to me like that Mick". It's clear somebody is being deceitful.
Was Mick lying or just manipulating the truth? You be the judge.
Sledging Stephen Milne
Malthouse was caught on camera clearly having words with pesky Saints forward Stephen Milne during a game in 2010.
But Mick really dug a hole for himself during his post-match press conference when he aggressively denied speaking to Milne.
Two days later, he was forced to apologise to Milne for calling him a rapist.
After he was fined $7500 by the AFL, Malthouse claimed he lied to protect Milne and then "strenuously objected" to being called a liar.
Bizarrely, he then compared himself to Winston Churchill.
"There were times when his public pronouncements bore little resemblance to what was actually taking place. But he did it for the greater good."
Churchill was trying to save democracy from the onslaught of fascism, Mick, not denying abusing a sportsman in a domestic football competition.
I'll never coach again
Collingwood's disastrous handover arrangement that has seen Nathan Buckley take over as coach was always going to end ugly.
"I certainly won't be involved in a football club. I see that chapter's finished right now," Malthouse said after the 2011 season.
Malthouse was even quoted as saying he would like a senior coaching role with Cricket Australia.
Instead he worked in the media for the 2012 season, where he took pot shots at the Pies from behind the microphone.
Malthouse accused president Eddie McGuire of driving a wedge between himself and his friends at Collingwood as the feud escalated.
McGuire rebutted by saying Malthouse had no friends left at Collingwood.
Of course, Mick eventually joined Collingwood's arch rival Carlton – taking star player Dale Thomas and fitness guru Dave Buttifant with him.
Despite a flow of accusations, Malthouse vehemently denied negotiating with the Blues during the 2012 season, and promises he did not consider the job until after predecessor Brett Ratten was sacked.
Fleeing the wild west
Eagles fans fell in love with Mick, who delivered two flags between 1990 and 1999. But they quickly turned when Malthouse quit West Coast after being lured to Collingwood.
Gun defender from West Coast's glory years Glenn Jakovich told a 2011 News Corp interview that the WA public turned on Malthouse when he pulled up stumps in Perth.
"The media kind of resented him and when he left they kicked the boots into him and said the move was all about the money, he said.
"He was pretty ruthless. At times he was a bastard to the media."
"He played good cop to us, bad cop to the media."
Abandoning the Bulldogs
Malthouse had his coaching start in the 1980s and was Footscray's top dog from '84 to '89. During his time at the Bulldogs, the perennial under achievers won more games than they lost under Mick.
But after six years he'd outgrown the kennel and headed west, leaving a legion of downtrodden Bulldogs fans feeling angry and betrayed.
Bullying the media
As Sportal's own Paul Barbieri can attest, Mick is the most uncooperative AFL coach to interview.
But of all Malthouse v media skirmishes, nothing tops Herald Sun journo Daryl Timms' 1993 incident.
Reeling from West Coast's two-point loss to Essendon at the MCG, Mighty Mick sprayed the umpires and then took aim at Timms.
Timms, thinking out loud, made a comment about the official free-kick stats, which were different to the numbers a clearly angry Malthouse had raised with reporters.
Malthouse asked Timms if he was stupid as well as deaf. Timms replied: "The same as you."
The veteran coach followed Timms and grabbed him high up on the chest, thrusted him towards the wall and muttered words to the effect: "If you've got something to say, say it to my face."