LEON Cameron has seen enough from Stephen Coniglio this pre-season to believe his co-captain is turning the corner.
Coniglio has had what Giants coach Cameron describes as a "tough" two years, with form and injury putting a pause on his ascension to one of the premier two-way midfielders in the competition.
Last year was particularly difficult for the 28-year-old, limited to just seven games after a tackle in round three resulted in surgery on both his ankle and toe.
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This followed a 2020 season, Coniglio's first in charge as sole captain, where he struggled for form and faced tight scrutiny following a big-money, long-term contract extension.
Although not getting too carried away just yet – he knows it's only pre-season – Cameron said an uninterrupted block of training either side of Christmas had worked wonders.
"We haven't had a game yet but in the mini-match practises we're having, he's moving really freely, he's covering the ground (well), he's fit," Cameron told AFL.com.au.
"He's done a lot of the basic fundamentals of training which he probably missed a bit, which will hold him in good stead for the year upon us."
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Cameron said Coniglio, who now shares the captaincy with Toby Greene and Josh Kelly, needed some luck with his body to return to his best.
With the training blocks being put in place, his confidence was following suit.
"You're kidding yourself to say it's (confidence) at the highest level because he's had a tough two years," Cameron said.
"Like any sportsperson or anyone in life you're always going to have some down times and he's had a really tough two years with form and also his body.
"I can only go with what I've seen in the pre-season and his confidence levels are starting to rise.
"Injuries can rock a whole year and that's clearly what happened last year.
"Equally you can bounce back and there's so many wonderful stories across the AFL of players bouncing back after injury and a drop in form, and I think we'll see that with Stephen in 2022."
