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Former English Premier League player Nick Montgomery has been named as the new head coach of A-League club Central Coast.

The ex-Sheffield United midfielder, who played for the Mariners between 2012 and 2017 after moving from England, replaces Alen Stajcic on a two-year deal.

Stajcic walked away from the club last month, after guiding the Mariners to a third-place finish and their first finals campaign in seven years.

Since retiring as a player, Montgomery has spent the past two seasons in charge of the Mariners' youth teams and has played a key role in the development of several youngsters at the club including Alou Kuol, Matt Hatch, Dan Hall and Jordan Smylie.

The 39-year-old said he was thrilled to be given the opportunity at senior level.

"I look forward to continuing my work with Ken (Schembri, Mariners head of football) and all the football staff in preparing a very competitive squad for next season," he said.

"I am delighted to have the core of last season's team already signed.

"We will look to bring in a few quality players and combine them with our core and youth to gives us a very competitive squad."

© AAP 2021

About 100 aged care workers and support staff in Adelaide have taken industrial action over a wages and conditions dispute.

The Health Services Union says multiple RDNS worksites held protected one-hour stop work meetings on Friday.

It says workers are facing pay freezes and a loss of conditions in a proposed employment agreement.

The union says RDNS is putting the agreement out to a vote of workers despite it not being endorsed by the negotiating parties.

"RDNS pretended to listen to the workers reasonable demands, ignored them, shut down negotiations and are rushing through a weak employment agreement at the first opportunity," union state secretary Billy Elrick said in a statement.

"It is an attempt to silence these voices of these important workers, and they are rightly fed up.

"These workers do a brilliant job caring for some of the most vulnerable in our community, they deserve a fair pay rise that values their work and keeps them from drowning under the cost of living."

The union said workers had been striving for a fair wage increase and to maintain their employment conditions since the privatisation of domiciliary care services to the RDNS/Silver Chain Group in 2018.

It said the short disruption to services on Friday was chosen to minimise the impact to clients.

In a statement, the Silver Chain group said the national enterprise agreement on the table included competitive industry rates and conditions for all employees and gave 93 per cent of its national non-nursing workforce a pay increase.

"Only a small percentage of our non-nursing workforce has indicated it may be involved in industrial action," it said.

"These workers include former domiciliary care employees who were on legacy government packages that were significantly higher than the industry standard.

"For these employees we have offered to maintain their former public sector pay rates with some roles receiving an increase to pay during the term of the agreement."

Silver Chain said as a not-for-profit organisation it sought to strike a balance between recognising and rewarding its people while ensuring its operations were sustainable.

"Since August 2020 Silver Chain has been working in good faith with the Health Services Union and our people to reach an outcome in a timely manner," it said.

"We have met with the Health Services Union, among other bargaining representatives, and incorporated outcomes to negotiations into the final draft agreement which has been shared with our national, non-nursing, workforce."

© AAP 2021

GWS are desperate to find answers regarding their fluctuating post-bye form as they prepare to meet Melbourne - the embodiment of consistency this AFL season - at the MCG on Saturday.

The Giants weathered an injury crisis while scrambling to a 5-5 start, rallying after opening the year with three straight losses.

The stage was set for Leon Cameron's team to stake their claim for a return to finals after the mid-season break, when they faced North Melbourne, Carlton and Hawthorn.

But GWS came away with six premiership points during that three-game stretch, failing to consistently produce their best outside a round-14 win over the Blues.

"When there are so many players in really good form, that's a great headache for the coaching staff to have. We don't have that," GWS coach Cameron said.

"There's some mids that need to get a bit of a move on because since the bye our midfield has been a bit up and down.

"We were really strong against Carlton, poor for a half against the Kangaroos, and indifferent (against Hawthorn).

"We're trying to close this gap between our best and worst. It's not just our midfield, it exposes everyone ... we've had a number of injuries in the first half of the season but that has receded now."

Cameron has axed veterans Matt de Boer and Sam Reid plus young ruckman Kieren Briggs for the clash with the ladder-leading Demons.

Shane Mumford, Tom Green and Lachie Ash have been recalled, while Melbourne have named an unchanged side.

Richmond's shock loss to Gold Coast has enhanced the Giants' top-eight chances but they will likely need to be at their absolute best to trouble the Demons.

GWS will stay in Melbourne for at least another week, with NSW reporting 31 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 on Friday.

Cameron is confident his charges are handling the uncertainty and stress caused by being away from loved ones in lockdown.

"I'd be lying to stand here and say players are bulletproof, everything is rosy and they'll play their best footy because nothing is worrying them," he said.

"But in saying that, we're alive, healthy, well and get to play the game. You talk about things, get over things and move on."

© AAP 2021