The midfielder and stand-in skipper reunited with his Swans counterpart Callum Mills on Wednesday as both teams saddle up for another "Battle of the Bridge" at ENGIE Stadium off the back of baffling runs of form.Â
The 11th-placed Giants have bagged stunning upsets against the Brisbane Lions (fourth) and Fremantle (first), triumphs which have been hollowed by defeats to lowly St Kilda (10th) and West Coast (16th).
After slaying the Dockers, the current red-hot minor premiership favourites, GWS then coughed up four points against cellar-dwellers Essendon, with injury added to insult as skipper and key hype man Toby Greene sidelined for up to four weeks nursing a quad strain.
But Coniglio wasn't about to push the panic button.
"No doubt a huge loss ... but it's just going to be an opportunity for someone else," he said on Wednesday.
"We've still got some really experienced guys that'll be able to chip in.
"We'd love him to be playing, but it's part of the game so we'll plan without him."
Greene now limps into a 13-strong Giants casualty ward, along with ruck hard-man Kieren Briggs (leg), Jake Riccardi (ankle), Darcy Jones (knee), Brent Daniels (calf) and Leek Aleer (groin).
War wounds have already put pay to the season for engine room stalwarts Tom Green (knee) and Josh Kelly (hip).
"We've had that to deal with all year," Coniglio said of the lengthy injury list.
"But ... other guys who probably wouldn't get an opportunity otherwise, they can't wait to play. There'll be some guys on Saturday afternoon that have never played the Swans in a derby."
The occasion was auspicious enough to compensate for the loss of the Giants' spiritual leader, Coniglio opined.
"It's not a hard one to try and motivate particularly the younger players," he said.
Saturday will be a chance for GWS to settle the score after suffering a 41-point thumping last time out at the SCG in round six, and losing six of the past seven derby clashes.
But the second-placed Swans face their own form issues, faltering under examinations of their finals credentials from Brisbane, Fremantle and Adelaide.
A derby defeat would further put at risk finishing second and a shot at a home qualifying and preliminary final come September.
"Our good footy's been really good in quarters and then our poor ones have just let us down," Mills said on Wednesday.
"It's important for us to turn around, but (we've) got full faith in our midfield group.
"They're elite players in the AFL and they're getting to work."
The Giants will also have an eye on the ladder as Saturday's clash presents another opportunity to nudge into the top 10 and secure a berth in the new wildcard finals round.
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