MATTHEW Knights says he instigated a meeting with Mark Williams but has not elaborated on the type of role Essendon is looking to fill with the Port Adelaide premiership coach.

Knights said he met with Williams and Bombers general manager of football operations Paul Hamilton for about half-an-hour on Wednesday.

Essendon has confirmed that assistant coaches Ashley Prescott and Scott Camporeale will leave at the end of the season, but it is unclear whether Williams could fill one of those positions or a director of coaching role.

"We haven't got to that point. It was just an initial discussion of where Mark is at, where our club is at, and just getting Mark's passions for football and where he thought his life was headed," Knights said on Thursday.

"It was really at quite an infancy stage and it would be remiss of us to think about roles or boxes because that's not what an initial discussion is all about.

"It was very fruitful and amicable."

Knights said he had a "small professional relationship" with Williams from his time spent as coach of SANFL club Port Adelaide Magpies.

He also said he wasn’t concerned about having a proven coach of Williams' calibre on his staff.

"I'm really open-minded. We've probably got a number of roles at the end of the year that we're looking to fill in a number of different areas," he said.

"Yesterday was all about Mark and I and Paul having a discussion about where he's at and what his passions are in football.

"He's certainly an unbelievably passionate person about football itself and improving people and developing young men.

"Where that fits with our club at the moment - we're not quite sure yet. We're not quite 100 per cent sure where Mark is at and where he's going to go."

Knights said it was hard to ignore Williams' credentials and what he was able to achieve during his time at Alberton.

"Let’s face it - you get judged on winning premierships in this league. You've got nothing unless you win premierships," he said.

"Mark has achieved that as a coach and done that with Port Power so someone like him I rate really highly."

With Prescott and Camporeale's departures and Alan Richardson being interviewed for the vacant Port Adelaide job, Knights said it was important to get on the front foot with rebuilding his team.

"We’re looking to set our structure up pretty early for next year," he said.

"We're not going to waste any time to get out there amongst it to bring the best people we can to the Essendon football club for 2011 and beyond."

Knights also said he supported Richardson's application and tipped him as the man for the Power job.

"Alan's been a breath of fresh air since he arrived," he said.

"He's had enormous experience in development at a number of clubs and he's a magnificent teacher of young men and he's big on the education of football.

"I think he's a huge chance to get the Port Adelaide job, I really do. He would certainly go with my blessing.

"He's done a huge tenure and a huge apprenticeship to get to this point."