He may have missed out on selection in the 40-man Virgin Australia All Australian Squad, but GIANTS midfielder Stephen Coniglio’s brilliant season has been applauded by footy fans.

The 24-year-old was ranked eighth in the People’s Choice Top 50 on the Herald Sun website, with GIANTS co-captain Callan Ward not far behind at 10th.

Eyebrows were raised when Coniglio wasn’t named in the initial 40-man All Australian squad, but he was widely regarded as one of the GIANTS’ top performers in 2018, capping his season with a fourth-placing in the GIANTS’ Kevin Sheedy Medal and picking up the Coaches Award at the club’s award night.

Coniglio averaged 28 disposals, five tackles and 5.5 clearances a game in 2018, as well as kicking 24 goals for the season.

Ward, who finished runner-up for the Sheedy Medal and was nominated in the All-Australian squad of 40, ranked elite for clearances per game with 6.7 on average.

But even more impressive than his stats was his inspirational and courageous attack on the footy, which earned Ward the AFL Player’s Association Robert Rose Award for Most Courageous Player in the league, as voted by the players.

His co-captain Phil Davis was ranked 19 by the fans, while Virgin Australia All Australian and 2018 Sheedy Medallist Lachie Whitfield was ranked 34.

The Herald Sun People’s Choice Top 50 was in response to football writer Mark Robinson’s end-of-season Top 50 rankings last week.

Robinson had Whitfield ranked at number 11, Coniglio at number 17, Davis at 21 and Ward at 28.

Robinson lauded Whitfield as the equal-most skilful player by foot in the competition, and said Ward “remains one of the toughest and inspiring mids in the competition”.

The Herald Sun chief football writer said Coniglio “stepped up big time” in 2018, and commended how tough Davis was for forwards to play on.

To view Robinson’s complete list and the People’s Choice Top 50, visit the Herald Sun article HERE.