GREATER Western Sydney has added Adelaide great Ben Hart to Adam Kingsley's new coaching panel, with the club also in talks with former Port Adelaide assistant Brett Montgomery.
The Giants have two vacancies in the coaching department following the departures of Geelong great Steve Johnson and Sydney premiership player Amon Buchanan, but have now filled one of those.
It is understood the Giants reached an agreement with Hart on Monday to seal his return to the AFL.
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Hart coached the Northern Bullants in the VFL this year after departing the Crows at the end of 2020 amid the soft cap crunch due to the coronavirus pandemic.
After playing 311 games for the Crows, Hart returned to the club for two assistant coaching positions around a five-season stint at Collingwood, totalling 12 seasons inside football departments.
It has taken longer than first hoped for Greater Western Sydney to fill the vacancies, following a season of change when Leon Cameron departed the club after a decade, with the cost of living difference in Sydney compared to other cities problematic for attracting assistant coaches.
GWS football boss Jason McCartney has been in talks with several options across recent months, but the club has always struggled to secure highly rated assistants due to the costs in relocating families to western Sydney.
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It is understood the Giants have been in discussions with Montgomery since he departed the Power at the end of the season.
A deal for Montgomery is yet to be finalised and is understood to be no guarantee at this stage, although the clock is ticking with other clubs in the market.
Since retiring at the end of 2007 after 204 games for the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide, the 49-year-old has spent the past 16 years in coaching positions at both clubs plus Carlton.
Kingsley and Montgomery both played in Port Adelaide's premiership win over Brisbane in 2004, while McCartney crossed paths with the latter during his time at the Whitten Oval.
It is understood that Kingsley was unsuccessful in his attempt to lure former premiership teammate and close mate Brendon Lade to relocate to western Sydney.
Lade was involved in the coaching process for the vacant role at Essendon, following the departure of Ben Rutten – who has taken Kingsley's spot at Richmond – before joining Luke Beveridge's team to oversee the midfield at the Whitten Oval.
Craig Jennings has re-signed with the Giants after replacing Adam Schneider at the start of the year.
Jennings initially signed a season-long deal but will remain at Greater Western Sydney after leading the Giants' defence in 2022.
The Giants signed Western Jets head coach Robbie Chancellor as head of development last month.
Kingsley and Chancellor worked together at St Kilda during Alan Richardson's time in charge, where Chancellor rose up the ranks after stints at Melbourne and Hawthorn.
