GREATER Western Sydney captain Stephen Coniglio has been dumped for Saturday's round 17 match against Melbourne at the Gabba.
Coniglio is the first casualty of the Giants' disastrous R16 loss to bottom team Adelaide.
Football manager Jason McCartney confirmed the news on Friday morning.
"Stephen is the first to admit that his form hasn't been where he'd like it to be," said McCartney.
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"We see this as a speed bump in the road. He's a quality man and he'll bounce back. It's a sign of a strong football club that if people don’t perform at all levels, you need to have hard conversations.
"He's an A-grade footballer, he's an A-grade person and we'll support him and he'll bounce back."
Coniglio has been under pressure this season after signing a landmark seven-year deal in 2019 and taking the captaincy reins from Phil Davis and Callan Ward.
It was the longest individual contract in the Giants' history and will keep him at the club until the age of 32.
The Giants will also be without former skipper Ward (finger) for the clash.
