Sacked Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade says he still has a great passion to coach in the AFL and believes developing players is one of his greatest strengths.

The 53-year-old, who took the Dogs to preliminary finals in the past three seasons, is rated as a strong contender for the vacant posts at Melbourne and Adelaide, where developing young players will be a key.

"I want to coach again, I've got a great passion for it," Eade told the Nine Network's AFL Footy Show on Thursday night.

"I think after my time at Sydney I was spent and I thought I might have needed a year off, I had two years off.

"But I think now I'm fine, I've certainly got a passion for it, certainly the development side and the teaching side, that's a fairly strong suit.

"And I certainly love the cut and thrust of match day."

Eade coached the Swans for seven seasons, including taking them to the 1996 grand final.

He was told on Wednesday his contract at the Bulldogs, who he has coached for almost seven seasons, would not be renewed for next year.

After toying with the idea of coaching out the final three games of the season, it was announced on Thursday that assistant Paul Williams would take over as caretaker.

Eade said he had decided it would be no value for either him or the club to see out the year.

"I think it might be frustrating for people around the club, because they wouldn't know what to say to me, they'd be treading on egg shells, the club needed to go forward, so I think it's best for everyone," he said.

Eade dismissed rumours he had a poor relationship with Dogs football manager James Fantasia, saying while they were not close personally, they worked well together.

"We weren't friends, if you want to know that, but we were very professional in the way we went about it."

Eade said the Dogs were in a transitional phase, but could still push for a finals berth under a new coach next season, predicting they were capable of a finish from sixth to 10th place.

But he said much would depend on how midfielder Adam Cooney and fullback Brian Lake rebounded from injury-hampered seasons and backman Dale Morris recovered from a broken leg.

Eade also said the Bulldogs' Greater Western Sydney target Callan Ward had recently told him he was "50-50" about whether to join the Giants.

Asked his opinion on whether Ward would head to the expansion club, Eade said he was unsure, but tipped: "I think he might".

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