Dean Laidley and Mark Williams will know by the end of this month whether they are staying put or becoming AFL coaching candidates.

Provisions in their current contracts mean Port Adelaide must let Williams know where he stands by June 30, while Laidley has a round 16 deadline.

North have formed a coaching sub-committee and the club want to give Laidley an indication this month.

Seven coaches started this season in the final year of their contracts and Richmond's Terry Wallace is the first to know his fate.

Wallace was to coach the Tigers for the last time on Friday night against the Western Bulldogs.

On Saturday, Richmond will announce which current assistant will coach the team for the rest of the season.

Also on Friday, Laidley reaffirmed his determination to coach next year, regardless of North's mid-season decision.

"I've already made that very clear earlier in the year, that my first preference is to stay and coach at North Melbourne," he said.

"If that's not going to be the case, I'd still like to think I'd like to coach somewhere else."

While North might tell Laidley he can go on the coaching market, the Kangaroos could still come back to him later in the season and offer a deal.

Laidley insisted the formation of the sub-committee did not bother him, saying he had been aware for some time that it would happen.

"This might be news to you guys (media), but certainly not to me or the footy club," he said.

"It has been 18 months in the making I suppose, we knew at this time that's what was going to happen and I am more than comfortable with what is going on.

"I'm sure it will be sooner, rather than later - I'm not going to talk about exact dates.

"I've been aware that this is probably going to come to the fore ... at this time of year, because we're getting close to that time where most coaches are getting reviewed."

Laidley added he had not thought about whether he would stay at the club to the end of the season, if North said he could start looking elsewhere.

North's season is teetering on four wins and six losses, while Port's form has fluctuated wildly for a 5-5 record.

Laidley's major priority is developing the young talent on his list.

He is confident the focus on his future will not affect his players and also has no qualms about whether they are playing for him.

"We've been through bigger things than this in our journey together over the last six or seven years - this is a little blip on the radar, with relocations and videos and whatever has happened," he said.

"I wouldn't see this even coming up in the players' thinking, to be honest.

"I've never doubted the players playing for me.

"The results we've had since I've been a football coach ... any North Melbourne supporter who has backed us week-in, week-out over the journey I reckon is considerably in front.

"The results are important, but they're not the most important thing for me at the moment."

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