GREATER Western Sydney midfielder Stephen Coniglio is facing a long recovery period after suffering five fractures in his face during last Saturday night's semi-final loss to Brisbane at Engie Stadium. 

The 30-year-old was substituted out of the game before quarter-time after a collision with teammate Aaron Cadman in a contest with Brisbane co-captain Harris Andrews, which brought play to a standstill for nearly five minutes. 

Coniglio can't undergo surgery until next week due to the swelling in his face and will require up to three months to make a full recovery.

If the Giants progressed to a preliminary final and beyond, Coniglio would have missed out on playing deep in September like he did in 2019 when he injured his knee late in the season.

Coniglio also suffered a concussion in the collision and will meet with more specialists next week to continue to monitor his left eye.

After finishing runner-up in the past two Kevin Sheedy medals, Coniglio endured an arduous season on the injury front, dealing with knee and shoulder issues across 2024, which limited him to just 15 appearances and resulted in him being subbed out three times.

Coniglio will also undergo a shoulder reconstruction in the coming weeks to solve the issue he carried across the back end of the season after dislocating his shoulder against Geelong in round 11. 

The West Australian isn't expected to return to full training until after the Christmas break.

Coniglio missed three games early in the season due to an anterior cruciate ligament scare at Manuka Oval. 

He was then sidelined for a month after dislocating his shoulder at GMHBA Stadium, before missing four more games late in the season after injuring the shoulder against Richmond at the MCG in round 23.

Greater Western Sydney bowed out of the finals in straight sets after coughing up a 44-point lead against the Lions last Saturday night, seven days after Sydney reeled in a 28-point deficit at the SCG.