WESTERN Bulldogs veteran Daniel Giansiracusa will start his final AFL game on the field, as he draws the curtain on his 14-year career next week.
The 32-year-old, who has worn the substitute's vest in 12 of the 14 matches he has featured in this season, will hang up the boots after next Sunday's clash against Greater Western Sydney.
The game will mark Giansiracusa's 265th appearance for the red, white and blue.
"He'll be on the ground. We had a little gentlemen's agreement," coach Brendan McCartney said after his side's 63-point loss to Sydney Swans.
"We want to send 'Gia' off the right way. It's really important we send off people that have given so much great service to our club the right way.
"We had a period during the year where he wasn't playing in the team and we were putting a lot of game time and experience into our younger players, and history shows you that they can struggle to get through a full year.
"So he's come back at the end and he's buzzing around there a bit today, and I think you'll see him at his best next week."
McCartney said the club's decision to axe ruckman Will Minson from its clash against Sydney was due to "form".
The 29-year-old's absence was the first time he was dropped from the squad since 2011.
The All Australian ruckman had played in all of the Bulldogs' games this year, before being handed the red vest in last week's 50-point loss to North Melbourne.
"Will and I have been working together for quite some time on his game. It hasn't been happening for him," McCartney said.
McCartney acknowledged the performance of Minson's replacement, Ayce Cordy, who had 14 hit-outs and 10 touches in his first game for the season.
"(He's a) young player underneath rucking well, following up at ground level well at VFL level for almost 20 weeks," he said.
"There were some areas that challenged him. We liked his follow-up work (and) we liked his ability to get the ball out to some teammates.
"We felt for a while that as Ayce matures into his body and feels more comfortable and gets stronger, he'll deal with the physical side of the game more and he'll end up a really useful AFL ruck-forward, not a forward-ruck."
McCartney said the Bulldogs failed to match the Swans' intensity from the outset, as John Longmire's men piled on the first six goals of the match.
"They were on to us around the contest and away from the contest, and certainly pressuring our defenders taking the ball out," he said.
"Some teams can pressure you and not maximise it, but when they pressure you, they force you to error, they score and they hurt."
