STEPHEN Coniglio has told opponents who may want to target his troublesome shoulder to "bring it on", while ruckman Kieren Briggs has echoed a similar sentiment ahead of the finals.
The Greater Western Sydney star duo are both battling shoulder issues, with Coniglio missing ten games with the injury this season that will require surgery at the end of the campaign.
The midfield gun showed little sign of the problem holding him back against Fremantle on Saturday though, with 24 disposals, seven clearances and six tackles on his return.
And he’s adamant he won’t be impacted by any extra attention from opposition teams.
"Bring it on, I feel great," Coniglio said.
"I had four weeks of just rehabbing it and getting it strong. If I didn't, I wouldn't be playing.
"It felt great to be back out there. I was a little bit scratchy at times, but to get some confidence moving forward was great," Coniglio added.
Briggs missed the Giants' stirring win against Brisbane two weeks ago with a sore shoulder, and late on in the win over the Dockers he seemed to be in serious pain in that area again.
Fears over the 24-year old's fitness for the remainder of the season were allayed slightly as he waved the trainers away and pressed on in the ruck, and he admits that’ll likely be the way of it for the rest of the year.
"It's not looking likely at this stage," Briggs said in regard to the possibility of surgery at the end of the season.
"Structurally it's fine, so I've just got to suck it up.
"It's just going to be stingers for the rest of the year, it is what it is. Ninety per cent of players at this time of the year are carrying some sort of niggle, sometimes it hurts but we'll move on and get through it," he added.
With a top-four spot locked up, a win on Sunday against the Bulldogs in Ballarat would be the eighth straight victory for the Giants heading into the finals and could potentially elevate them into second place.
It's the team triumph of a premiership that they're after and have been since the pre-season, but their remarkable surge in the second half of the year is set to deliver individual accolades as well.
Jesse Hogan will almost certainly win the Coleman Medal and likely earn his first All-Australian blazer, while Lachie Whitfield is firming for a similar honour across half-back.
Midfield bull Tom Green will be in discussions, while forward dynamo Brent Daniels is making a late charge for a debut AA spot.
The Giants' clash with old rivals the Western Bulldogs in Ballarat will launch a Super Sunday of final round fixtures that will shape the top eight.
The Bulldogs had the Giants' measure the last time they met in round 10 as GWS endured a mid-season dip, but their previous meeting in Ballarat last year went the way of Adam Kingsley's side and sparked a form turnaround that has been replicated in 2024.
The rivalry is renowned as being the Giants' second biggest after the Swans derbies, but Coniglio concedes it is waning a touch.
"It's a bit different to what it was in 2016 and 2017, that's for sure," he said.
"It's just going to be great to play against them, an important game, a big team and then an important month after that. It's not quite the same rivalry but there are some familiar faces (from their famous duels in the past)."
