Sacked Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade can devote his attention towards chasing the vacant jobs at Melbourne and Adelaide, after deciding not to see out the season with the Dogs.

Told on Wednesday his Bulldogs contract would not be renewed, the 14-season AFL coach had initially toyed with the idea of staying at the helm for the final three games.

Instead, his senior assistant Paul Williams will take over, freeing up Eade, who has stated his intention to be a career coach, to concentrate on gaining a senior job elsewhere.

Both the Demons and the Crows intend to talk to Eade about their vacant head coaching posts, with Eade expected to be high on the two clubs' list of candidates.

Melbourne caretaker coach Todd Viney said Eade, who took Sydney to five finals series in seven seasons, including the 1996 grand final, and led the Dogs to preliminary finals in each of the past three years, had the attributes the Demons needed.

"There's no doubt they'll be speaking to Rocket," Viney said.

"He's been a successful coach over a long period of time and I'm sure he'd tick most of the boxes the club would be looking for.

"Experience would be a fantastic attribute to have - if you've had your team in the big games at the end of the year."

Unlike Adelaide caretaker coach Mark Bickley, who has made a strong impression in his first three games in charge of the Crows, Viney has ruled himself out as a candidate to stay permanently in his position.

Bickley, the captain of the Crows' only two premierships in 1997-98, has yet to declare whether he wants to coach the club beyond this season.

But he has already said Eade should be "really strongly considered" by the Crows.

Former Bulldogs star and current Hawthorn assistant Leon Cameron is the favourite to replace Eade on a fulltime basis.

As well as playing 172 games with the Bulldogs and 84 with Richmond, Cameron was a Bulldogs assistant for the past seven seasons, before joining the Hawks coaching panel this year.

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson had no issue with Cameron chasing the job and did not expect it to distract the third-placed Hawks as they approach the finals series.

"He is a highly regarded member of our coaching team and that sort of stuff will play itself out," Clarkson said.

"We will support him in whatever he wants to do, next year and beyond.

"But in terms of the role he is to play for us, he will fulfil that really well."

Clarkson gained his current position while an assistant coach at Port Adelaide in 2004, forcing him to leave the Power part way through that year's successful finals series.

Williams, a 306-game player with Collingwood and Sydney, said he would enjoy the opportunity of coaching the Dogs for three games against Port Adelaide, Hawthorn and Fremantle.

"I am looking forward to working with the players, coaches and staff as we move into this new and exciting phase," he said.

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