The GIANTS might have won ugly against Fremantle on Saturday but the stunning return of star midfielder Stephen Coniglio gave them plenty of reasons to smile.

The GIANTS beat the Dockers by 12 points in a match that was hardly a spectacle, but it mattered little to Leon Cameron's men, who grabbed their first victory since round 14 at Spotless Stadium to maintain their top four standing.

Coniglio, playing his first match since he suffered his second serious ankle injury of the year in round eight against Collingwood, did a power of work through the midfield, finishing with 27 possessions, nine clearances and six tackles against Fremantle.

With his side 15 points down at the last change, Coniglio stepped up his influence on the contest, gathering eight possessions, four clearances and three tackles in the final term alone, with coach Leon Cameron praising the leadership of the West Australian.

"He's in and under and that helps (Dylan) Shiel, (Josh) Kelly, and (Lachie) Whitfield get going, so to have 'Wardy' (Callan Ward) going toe-to-toe in there is exactly what we need," Cameron said post-match.

"He's our vice captain for a reason and for him to play like he did first up with the team down on confidence, he found a way (and said) get on my back, and they did.

"He could have dropped off because of his preparation but he had a big say in the game.

"That's the pleasing thing about him and hopefully each week he gets better and better and better, because we need him at the forefront of the action next week against a really good Melbourne midfield.

Cameron's men will face the Demons at UNSW Canberra Oval next week, who are likely to be smarting after suffering a shock loss to North Melbourne on Saturday.

"We feel as though we play the ground well but Melbourne has had a terrific year," he said.

"They play a brand of footy that is exciting, hard and tough, they put their head over the footy and tackle really well, and they're a hard team.

"That will be our greatest test (this year) next Saturday, it's going to be a beauty and we look forward to it."

Star forward Jeremy Cameron (back/hip) and draftee Will Setterfield (concussion) will be monitored during the week to see if they can make the trip to the nation's capital, with Cameron looking noticeably sore by the final siren, and Setterfield ruled out of the match after copping a heavy tackle in the third term against Fremantle.