NEW GREATER Western Sydney coach Adam Kingsley has added another experienced name to his coaching panel for 2023, signing 2004 premiership teammate Brett Montgomery.
After a thorough search to add some fresh faces to the football department at Giants HQ, the club secured Adelaide great Ben Hart last week following a two-year stint at the Northern Bullants.
GWS had pursued Montgomery during the second half of the season, before ramping up conversations after the 49-year-old departed Port Adelaide at the end of the season.
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Meanwhile, senior GWS assistant Mark McVeigh resigned on Monday morning after a nine-year stint that included taking over the reins from Leon Cameron as caretaker coach in the second half of 2022.
Kingsley and Montgomery both played in Port Adelaide's Grand Final win over Brisbane nearly two decades ago, while Giants GM Jason McCartney also crossed paths with Montgomery during a previous life at the Western Bulldogs.
It is understood Montgomery committed to the Giants on Sunday and will be unveiled as part of Kingsley's first coaching panel on Monday afternoon.
Montgomery will relocate from Adelaide to Sydney on a two-year deal, helping bolster the experience under Kingsley following the departures of Steve Johnson and Amon Buchanan.
It has taken GWS longer than first hoped to fill the vacancies following a season of change in western Sydney, with the cost of living difference in Sydney compared to other cities problematic for attracting assistant coaches.
McCartney has been in talks with several clubs across recent months, but the Giants have always struggled to secure highly-rated assistants due to the costs in relocating families to western Sydney.
They now have two experienced figures in Hart and Montgomery, with the latter arriving at the Giants after 16 years in coaching at Port Adelaide, Carlton and the Western Bulldogs.
The club was initially hopeful McVeigh would remain as an assistant despite missing out on the head coach vacancy to Kingsley.
McVeigh is yet to commit to another coaching role but has attracted interest from other clubs, while he also considering options away from football.
"Mark has been a wonderful coach at our football club over a long period of time," Giants footy boss Jason McCartney said of McVeigh.
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"He's a person of great honesty and integrity and while we would have loved him to stay, the time is right for him to move on.
"We congratulate him on everything he has achieved so far in his coaching career and wish Mark and his family all the best for the future. He’ll always be part of building the Giants."
The Giants now have one spot to fill in its coaching department ahead of the pre-season.
