COACH Paul Roos says AFL clubs must honour contracts for coaches – and the industry at large must protect senior coaches entering their final season of a contract.

Speaking at an AFL media conference on Monday with football great David Parkin, Dr Peter Harcourt and AFLCA chief executive Mark Brayshaw to launch an initiative for Men’s Health Week, supporting prostate cancer awareness, Roos said the termination of senior coaching contracts was an issue in the game.

He highlighted coaching great Mick Malthouse, and his departure from Carlton earlier in the season, as a situation of a senior coach leaving his position before his contract had finished.

“The whole industry [knows] – and we all take responsibility – [but] it’s simple, if you win you keep your job [and] if you lose you get the flick. It’s not all that complicated an industry,” Roos said.

“But a contract is a contract and I don’t think people are now taking it seriously enough, and you guys [media] included.

“I think we are all in it. I know there were some people [who] criticised the media for playing a role – Mick would be the first to say he plays the most important role – but I don't think anyone is respecting the contract in the game of AFL footy now.”

Roos said a mechanism needed to be in place to protect senior coaches.

“You can blame boards, but boards are only human. The amount of pressure on the boards [is huge] – there is a great movie ‘The Club’ [about football boards and the senior coach]. [That was in the 1970s and] footy hasn't changed that much,” he said.

“I just feel that there does need to be some protection for the coaches – otherwise what’s the point of having a coach that only has a year to run on his contract? He just has a target on his chest basically from round one. I don’t think that is fair.

“We have seen coaches in the past that have been under pressure that have survived after eight or nine or 10 weeks and gone on and won premierships. It is something that coaches are definitely aware of.”