GREATER Western Sydney veteran Stephen Coniglio is primed to put a horror two years behind him having regained confidence in his body, which has been battered by injuries in recent seasons.
Coniglio has played just 25 games in the past two campaigns as he dealt with a range of issues, from serious facial surgery to a mysterious glute injury as well as a long-standing shoulder problem and another concussion late last year.
Now 32, Coniglio has been a standout during pre-season training at the Giants, with teammate Tom Green saying the midfielder has looked revitalised after finally getting back to full fitness.
"It has been a tough couple of years ... but he's been really explosive (in training). He looks really strong and confident in his body," Green said in Wollongong on Wednesday.
"He feels really confident in it, which is the most important thing. You don't want to be thinking about your body when you're trying to play at the same time.
"He's trained fantastically so far, he's had a great off-season and it's a reminder to myself and other younger players that it doesn't matter how old you are ... you've always got to try and get better and find improvement in your game."
The return of Coniglio to his best as well as the recruitment of three-time All-Australian Clayton Oliver is set to boost a Giants midfield that will be without star man Josh Kelly for most of the season.
Green revealed on Wednesday that he had a relationship with Oliver long before the midfield star joined the club, with the move coming after he was told he was no longer wanted by Melbourne.
With most of the home-and-away season used for recovery rather than conditioning, Green said he had reached out to Oliver early in his career for advice on how to maintain fitness during a long campaign.
"One of our old coaches put me in contact with him and he gave me a few tips on how to stay fitter during the year so you can run out the season better," he said.
"I think during the last three years, I've been able to run the seasons really well and that's off the back of the advice he gave me a few years ago.
"He's helped me out in my career before he came here, which is something I'll be forever grateful to him for.
"And now being able to work really closely alongside him has been great and I'm looking forward to developing that chemistry throughout the year."
Despite playing a similar in-and-under game to Oliver, Green says the pair can complement each other well and allow GWS's midfield to reach a new level in 2026.
"I think our style mixed with Finn (Callaghan) and the other midfielders, I think it will jell really well and help everybody's game," he said.
"I think our roles will complement each other because neither of us have to carry as heavy a load and other parts of our games can flourish as well.
"It's about picking and choosing our moments; we don't want to be going for the same ball all the time, which we haven't so far. He's a really smart player so we've been able to bounce off each other and understand when it's our time and when it's not.
"It'll take some time for the chemistry to develop, but I think that's something Giants fans will be able to see throughout the year."
The Giants' preparations for the 2026 season will ramp up next month with a hitout against Collingwood on February 20 before their AAMI Community Series practice game against Sydney on February 26.
Their premiership campaign will begin in Opening Round against Hawthorn on March 7.