GOLD Coast has drafted Malcolm Blight on to the ­selection panel for the new coach and is set to appoint interim chief executive Andrew Travis as its new boss this week.

The moves bolster the Suns’ front office as they prepare to undertake a thorough recruitment process to find Guy ­McKenna’s replacement.

It leaves former Bombers coach Mark Thompson at long odds to get the job.

SUNS NOT FAZED BY BOMBER RUMBLINGS

BLUEY MCKENNA RUN OUT OF TOWN

Travis, who has served as chief operating officer at the Suns, has been appointed chairman of the selection committee for the new coach. The Sunday Mail believes he will be ratified as Travis Auld’s replacement within days.

In the fallout from McKenna’s sacking, The Sunday Mail can reveal:

CONTRARY to reports that the job is his if he wants it, Thompson will not be offered the post and should he chose to lodge an official application would still have a tough task to win over key figures at the club who do not see the two-time Geelong premiership coach as the ideal fit for the Suns;

ASSISTANT coach Mark Riley’s position is under threat;

THE Suns will follow a recruitment model produced by former Kangaroos’ great Glenn Archer’s management company Stride;

SKIPPER Gary Ablett was informed of the review’s findings and the recommendation McKenna be sacked in person by Marcus Ashcroft; and

ASHCROFT also informed the leadership group of David Swallow, Tom Lynch, Dion Prestia and Michael Rischitelli by phone on the day the decision was made public.

Travis confirmed Blight had been appointed to the selection committee and said he had complete confidence the panel had the right mix of experience in recruitment and football industry knowledge to find the ideal ­applicant.

“Directors Alan Mackenzie, the chairman of our football subcommittee and Tony Cochrane, who has an incredible amount of experience in significant recruitment decisions, in particular within elite sport during his time with the V8 ­Supercars, have been given the responsibility along with Marcus Ashcroft and myself, to identify our new coach,’’ Travis said.

“The panel was granted board permission to add another experienced football person to the panel and Malcolm Blight fits that category.

“He also boasts an intimate knowledge of our club.’’

The review conducted by Ashcroft, which led to the decision to sack McKenna, looked into all sections of the club’s football operations and is set to lead to several other changes.

At least one assistant coach is likely to be sacked, as there is a view the new coach should be given scope to have a say in the appointment of one trusted offsider and Riley is under the most pressure.

He was a McKenna appointment and his most trusted ally. Restlessness from senior players over McKenna’s coaching methods is believed to have extended to Riley.