Greater Western Sydney have added the final piece to their coaching puzzle and unearthed a ready made potential successor to Kevin Sheedy as head coach of the AFL newcomers.

The Giants announced on Friday that 2004 Port Adelaide premiership coach Mark Williams had signed on as Sheedy's senior assistant.

It was another coup for the fledgling club - which will join the AFL in 2012 - and immediately created the perfect succession plan for whenever the 62-year-old Sheedy chooses to finally hang up the clipboard.

Williams' three-year contract will tie him to the club until the end of their second AFL season in 2013, a year beyond Sheedy's current deal at the Giants.

Williams, who finished his 11-year tenure at the Power this season, is highly credentialled and Sheedy felt it was too soon for the premiership-winning coach to leave the game.

"Personally I think that we've lost too many great coaches out of the game in the last decade," Sheedy said, noting the recent retirements of Paul Roos, Leigh Matthews and Mark Thompson, although the latter has taken up a senior assistant's job at Essendon.

"And that's why getting Mark Williams back is very, very important. We don't need to lose these guys out of the game.

"I'm hoping that he'll want to be a head coach one day, where he would like to be a head coach one day is obviously up to him and the great offer that hopefully he'll get.

"I think Mark is going to get pretty excited about the players he can coach here and if he ends up coaching Greater Western Sydney one day it will be fantastic."

One thing is certain - if Williams does eventually assume the post of top dog at the Giants, he will do it with Sheedy's support.

The former Essendon boss hand-picked Williams and has been hounding him since the week after he stood down mid-season from the Power.

"I said `look, at the end of the day, I'll be waiting for you' ... It's all patience," Sheedy smiled.

"I never spoke to any other coach to come to Greater Western Sydney.

"I only spoke to Mark Williams (because) I didn't want anyone else ... he's the best." The two already have a strong working relationship, having worked together previously at Essendon from 1995-97.

"It is difficult ego-wise when it comes to senior coaches working together, and both of us understand each other," said Williams.

"I fully understand that he's the boss and he understands that I'll work and do whatever he wants me to."

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