On the eve of Mick Malthouse breaking the long-standing VFL/AFL coaching record, a former premiership captain recalled one of the greatest sprays he received, in a game against Fremantle in 2005.

Malthouse will break the Jock McHale's record for VFL/AFL games coached (714) when he leads Carlton against Collingwood on Friday night.

It was half-time at Subiaco Oval in round 7, 2005, and Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse is filthy.

The Pies trailed Freo by 65 points and Malthouse turned his ferocious glare to young defender Nick Maxwell, playing just his 15th AFL game.

“He absolutely gave it to me in front of all the other players, told me I wasn’t a team man and was playing selfish footy,’’ Maxwell told The Herald Sun.

“I was pretty upset about it and on the Monday morning I confronted him and said ‘That’s rubbish. What are you talking about? I’m the opposite of that. The only reason I get a game is because I always put the team first.’

“And he said: ‘Yeah, I know. But how did you play in the second half?’ I said I went OK and he said: ‘No, you went really well because you wanted to show me, you wanted to stick it up me. And I’ll tell you what, everyone else knows that you’re a team man, team first, so if I was having a go at you then they all had to lift in that area as well.’ And it was true.”

Maxwell went on to captain Collingwood to the 2010 premiership.

The game remains as Fremantle’s highest-ever score in the AFL (28.12.180) and second-highest winning margin (112 points).