GWS Giants vice-captain Stephen Coniglio is on the mend after the “most difficult” six weeks of his career recovering from two separate surgeries.
Coniglio underwent successful facial surgery following an incident in the semi-final loss to Brisbane that left him with five fractures in his face.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Coniglio crunched in worrying incident.
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The 30-year-old suffered the injury in a collision with teammate Aaron Cadman and Lions co-captain Harris Andrews. The game was stopped for five minutes before he was eventually subbed out.
He also suffered a concussion in the incident.
Coniglio had to wait over a week before undergoing surgery due to the swelling in his face, while he needed specialist care to assess his left eye as well.
He also underwent a shoulder reconstruction, having managed the issue throughout the back half of the season.
The veteran midfielder will resume running next month and remains on track to complete the bulk of pre-season training.
Sharing a series of photos and videos of his recovery, Coniglio thanked his wife Rebecca and one-year-old daughter Amira for helping him.
“Maybe the most difficult & challenging six weeks I’ve had in my career, which would have been a lot harder without the support of my two angels being there every step of the way,” he wrote.
“Recovering, reflecting and plotting how I’m going to come back stronger and better than ever. Always blessed. See you soon.”
Rebecca replied: “Love you more than anything my darling 🤍 so proud of you.”
Meanwhile, fellow vice-captain Josh Kelly has resumed running after undergoing a hip arthroscope.
The star midfielder will continue to ramp up his recovery ahead of the club’s return to pre-season training.
Ruck Kieren Briggs underwent post-season surgery on his knee and is on track to resume running before Christmas.
The Giants will begin pre-season training on November 25 for the club’s first-to-four-year players before the remainder of the squad return the following week.
