THE WESTERN Bulldogs' decision not to offer Rodney Eade a new contract probably means the last coaching domino for the year has fallen.

Three clubs are now looking for new senior coaches and that looks unlikely to change unless Port Adelaide cops three more 20-goal beltings or Carlton gets beaten in an elimination final for the third year running.

Al Clarkson is yet to sign on the dotted line at Hawthorn, but that deal looks all but done at this point.

After an off-season that saw new coaches installed at Geelong, Port Adelaide, Essendon and the Sydney Swans, another four clubs have decided to roll the dice and hope a new mentor can lead them to the 'Promised Land'.

Nathan Buckley, who was anointed as Mick Malthouse's successor at Collingwood 18 months ago, takes over at the end of the season. Adelaide was the first club to dive into the market for a new coach this year when it sacked Neil Craig after a listless 103-point loss to St Kilda in round 18.

Melbourne followed suit the week after when Dean Bailey oversaw the deplorable 186-point debacle in Geelong and now the Western Bulldogs have called time on Eade after seven years.

So how do the events of Wednesday leave the AFL coaching landscape?

Popular opinion has Leon Cameron trying Eade's Whitten Oval office on for size moments after he collects his personal items and says farewell. Fair enough too, because he seems an excellent candidate from the outside.

Cameron played 172 games for the Dogs before being traded to Richmond and returned to the kennel for a seven-year stint as an assistant coach before again moving on to experience a different environment at Hawthorn, where he is currently nearing the business end of his first year under Clarkson.

Bulldogs president David Smorgon maintains the club hasn't got a successor in mind - you'd expect nothing less with the Hawks about to embark on a finals campaign - but you don't dump a seven-year coach who has taken you to three preliminary finals without some idea of what's out there.

As was the case with Melbourne, and Adelaide to a lesser extent, the Bulldogs' decision to cut loose their coach was swiftly followed by cries of "Get Malthouse" by various club legends.

But despite the confusion initially caused by his public comments on the matter, it seems more and more unlikely that Malthouse will coach anywhere next year. 

As for Eade, it seems one club's trash is another's treasure.

The Crows have a stated preference for a coach with AFL experience and the Demons would benefit greatly from Eade's vast knowledge of the game and tactical nous with former Bulldogs' star Luke Darcy describing his former coach as an "absolutely perfect fit" for Melbourne.

There is every chance Eade will find himself discarded by one club only to be fought over by another two.

Having taken the punt on an untried coach in Bailey, it's logical to draw the conclusion that AFL experience will be very favourably looked upon as Melbourne's search for a new coach heats up.

Although that puts Eade front and centre, bookies have former North Melbourne coach Dean Laidley and Power mentor Mark Williams right in the market.

Despite his pledge never to coach another club, the Demons, and the Dogs for that matter, could do a lot worse than have a coffee with Craig to see if his sudden lack of a job has caused him to rethink his position. 

Dual-premiership Crows skipper Mark Bickley is impressing in the caretaker role, but his lack of experience outside of West Lakes could count against him with West Coast assistant Scott Burns and Eade his main rivals for the top job should he declare his desire to claim the role beyond this season.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs