STEPHEN Coniglio has endured a tough second season in the AFL, including being dropped for the first time in his life, but the youngster has bounced back well and is excited about the rest of this year and beyond.
The No.2 pick in the 2011 NAB AFL Draft, Coniglio brought a big reputation to Greater Western Sydney and duly showed some excellent signs in his rookie campaign.
Year two hasn't been quite so straightforward however, with some strong performances spliced with difficult moments, including being dropped following the GIANTS' heavy loss to Port Adelaide in round 12.
Still a teenager, Coniglio admits being omitted came as a shock.
"It was a testing time for me personally," Coniglio told AFL.com.au. "I'd never been dropped before.
"But the coaches were really supportive and they needed better standards from me and I was rightly dropped."
He only spent one week in the seconds, but a hamstring injury sustained against the Western Bulldogs in round 15 then forced him to miss more senior football.
Upon his recovery, a desperate Coniglio was forced to wait just a little longer, named as the substitute for last week's clash with Melbourne.
When he finally entered the fray, the 19-year-old was like a man possessed.
In just one quarter, he managed 10 disposals, five clearances, three inside 50s and two tackles to play an important role in GWS' breakthrough victory.
"Watching your mates do so well, you want to get out there and be with them," he said.
"I was a bit of a man on a mission, you want to come on and really make a statement.
"I obviously had the fresh legs and when the game was in the balance, I was a bit more energised and wanted to do something."
Part of Coniglio's education this season included spending time in the reserves playing on highly rated Gold Coast teenager Jack Martin.
Taken aback by Martin's running ability, Coniglio is developing a better understanding of what it takes to become a top-level AFL player.
"It's important in the AFL now you don't just play offence," he said.
"If you look at all the good teams in the competition,the midfielders that can run both ways like Kieren Jack and Josh Kennedy are most likely to succeed, and therefore the team plays well."
Coniglio had another run-in with a Gold Coast gun earlier this year when he played on Jaeger O'Meara.
The West Australian teenagers are close friends – Coniglio's Twitter profile reads: "I just want to be like @jaegeromeara", while O'Meara's states "Wish I was half the athlete/bloke that @stephenconiglio is".
It remains to be seen whether O'Meara will also suffer some second-year blues in 2014, but Coniglio knows his own troubles this season will ultimately help him become a better footballer.
"A lot of people say the second year is your hardest year and this season has had its ups and downs," he said.
"But in the long run it's going to be more beneficial for me that I've had it.
"As a team we're also not really happy with how we've gone, we would've loved a few more wins, and to win on the weekend was a small step for us.
"We'd love to get one more before the end of the year and, even if we're not winning, we need to play some strong footy and take a lot of momentum into next year."
