Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson says he's in no rush to ink a new deal with his AFL club, dismissing reports he'll re-sign within days.

The Hawks coach comes out of contract at season's end, heightening speculation he's on the hit list of Adelaide and Melbourne as they hunt new coaches.

Clarkson said reports of him re-signing with Hawthorn within days were inaccurate.

"We'll probably leave it until another four to six weeks, that has been our time frame all along," Clarkson told reporters in Melbourne on Friday.

"We set in train a process 12 months ago in terms of my reappointment, but seven years ago in terms of what we wanted to achieve as a footy club, and we're nowhere near where we want to be.

"I'd be hopeful that things will work out soon."

Clarkson's timeframe of waiting to the end of his seventh season as Hawthorn coach to decide his future was agreed with outgoing Hawks president Jeff Kennett.

Kennett will step down in December, with the Hawthorn board anointing vice-president Andrew Newbold as his successor.

Newbold's ascension will be voted on by members at the club's annual general meeting as Clarkson maintained he was purely focused with on-field matters.

The Hawks host last-placed Port Adelaide at the MCG on Saturday, with Power coach Matthew Primus saying his club had already held talks with potential assistant coaches.

Primus hoped the early overtures would give Port the jump on other clubs.

"We have spoken to a lot of people," Primus told reporters in Adelaide on Friday.

"We just want to get a good coaching structure and fill up the spots we need filled up ... we started the process about a month ago."

Primus' first year as head coach has been hampered by a thin group of assistant coaches which includes a part-timer in former North Melbourne coach Dean Laidley.

But with AFL funding of $3 million a year to survive the next three seasons, Primus said attracting more coaching talent was crucial to recover from Port's worst season, which has returned just two wins and will likely end with the wooden spoon.

"You need to have the equivalent of what the average teams have and we haven't got that," Primus said.

"It is one key component of trying to improve our list.

"It's not the major reason why we are where we are at the moment, but it's one of the reasons.

"And that is why we have started the process a lot earlier than other clubs."

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