As Brendan Fevola holidayed nearby, newly appointed Gold Coast Football Club (GCFC) AFL coach Guy McKenna said the Carlton star's fall from grace acted as a timely warning to his budding club.

Fevola fled north in the fallout over his drunken Brownlow Medal night shenanigans, taking his family to a luxury $3 million private villa on the Gold Coast.

Just 25km away the fledgling Gold Coast club were describing the type of player they were targeting for their 2011 debut after confirming McKenna as their inaugural AFL coach.

And it would be fair to say Fevola didn't quite fit the bill.

While the Gold Coast can't make a play for uncontracted AFL players until 2010, it was clear Fevola personified what they didn't want at the fledgling club.

Asked about Fevola on Thursday, GCFC CEO Travis Auld said: "Carlton are keen to do a trade with him this year, we are not in the market this year.

"But also we need to be careful about the culture of our organisation, whether it be a player or a staff member.

"We will make sure every player that comes to our football club represents our values."

Many young men have succumbed to the tourist strip's temptations in the past but McKenna was able to mould a competitive under-18s TAC Cup side this year using a simple philosophy.

While Sydney famously have adopted the "no dickheads" policy, McKenna has used a similar "good player, even better bloke" principle.

It will form a key plank in their 2010 recruitment plan that hopes to secure some of the AFL's biggest names - and perhaps more importantly a place in the Gold Coast community's heart.

"We have a very clear message to all our players, it's about being professional on the field and more importantly professional off the field," McKenna said.

"If you are professional off the field you will take it on the field - that's the type of player we are after.

"That's part of our recruiting format. Obviously talent is important but again (it is about) making sure the person is a good citizen and able to grow into an even better citizen."

McKenna said Carlton offering up Fevola for trade would ram home to his young players that no one was untouchable.

"For sure. Footballers can make decisions that aren't always the right ones on the field," McKenna said.

"The ramifications are you might miss a shot on goal, you might miss a team-mate with a kick or a disposal and you might lose the game.

"But we have to make sure that the decisions off the field are the good ones.

"If you slip up off the field it can cost you your career, it can cost the club sponsorship, and we are in fairly tough economic times, not only in AFL football but all over.

"So we have to make sure we make those good decisions off the field."

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