GREATER Western Sydney is weighing up its captaincy options ahead of the upcoming season, with new senior coach Adam Kingsley still considering whether the club will retain all three skippers in 2023.
The club moved to a three-captaincy model last year, promoting both Toby Greene and Josh Kelly to advanced leadership positions to assist Stephen Coniglio after he had spent the previous two seasons as the side's sole skipper.
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The move, made under previous long-time coach Leon Cameron, followed the successful example set by crosstown rivals Sydney, who has employed three captains in 10 of its past 17 seasons and multiple skippers in 16 of its past 17 years.
But Kingsley, who is entering his first campaign as an AFL senior coach having won the Giants job last August, is still assessing the situation and whether one of Coniglio, Greene or Kelly – or potentially all three again – will continue in their role as captain.
"It's certainly different, three captains," Kingsley told AFL.com.au.
"In my whole AFL career as a player and a coach, I think I've had every program bar one under one captain, and that was last year. That worked fine last year, with Dylan Grimes and Toby Nankervis (at Richmond). But it'll need some consideration moving forward.
"Three captains doesn't happen very often. Do you need three captains? Do you need two? Do you need one? I think if you look at our three captains – and this is where I've taken the time to understand them, having watched them from afar, but getting to know them a little more intimately around who they are and how they influence the group – I think each of them in their own right could quite easily be the sole captain.
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"I'd be really comfortable with any of those boys. Now, whether it's going to be a sole captain or whether it's dual or the three captains again, I'm far from making a decision on that. I don't think we're in any hurry and we don't need to be in any hurry to make a decision on that."
Coniglio, Greene and Kelly were aided by a nine-man leadership group last season that also included Phil Davis, Nick Haynes, Matt de Boer, Lachie Whitfield, Jacob Hopper and then Connor Idun, who was promoted to the position midway through the campaign.
But the rebuilding club is still assessing what its leadership roles look like in 2023, confident it will have an outcome ahead of the team's crucial round one clash against Adelaide on March 19.
"I look at our games as being the deadline. You probably need a captain before round one, but I'm in no hurry to make a decision. I'll just let them go about their business and it'll unfold at some point in time," Kingsley said.
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The Giants, who finished 6-16 last year, are entering a transitional period under Kingsley with the club appointing an almost entirely new-look coaching group to surround the former Richmond assistant.
Ben Hart has arrived as the midfield coach, Brett Montgomery will lead the backline group, while Jeremy Laidler has crossed from Sydney to guide its forwards. Along with head of football Jason McCartney, all will have a say on the captaincy decision.
"You'll liaise with the playing group, with the coaches, with Jason as the GM of footy and with myself. It won't be my decision to make solely. I'll clearly have influence, but no more influence than what our playing group will have," Kingsley said.
"It'll be a group decision and we'll make a decision based around what we think is best for the club. Essentially, that's how all of our decisions are made now. No footy club is different. What's going to make us better?"
