Emerging GWS midfield star Tim Taranto rates the Giants stand-in skipper Stephen Coniglio a natural leader, while he continues to impressively build his own AFL career.
Third season Giant Taranto logged 30 touches and and ten tackles against Sydney last Saturday in a performance which earned him the Brett Kirk Medal for best on ground.
With long serving co-captains Callan Ward and Phil Davis injured, vice-captain and midfield dynamo Coniglio was promoted to the top job for the local derby.
He responded with 24 disposals and four goals, despite dislocating a finger on his right hand.
"Definitely a natural leader, I think he has captain written all over him. One day it might be his," Taranto said of Coniglio.
"But he leads us tremendously well; he's probably the spiritual leader of our club."
Together with fellow young gun Jacob Hopper, 21-year-old Taranto has lifted this season to help the fourth-placed (4-2) Giants fill the midfield gaps created by the departures of established stars Tom Scully and Dylan Shiel.
Both have lifted their disposal tallies from around 21 per game in 2018 to 26 this year and each are averaging double digits for contested possessions.
Coach Leon Cameron and more senior teammates confidently predicted before the season they would step up, but Taranto stressed they they hadn't been fazed by greater expectations.
"Not pressure but just more an opportunity," Taranto said.
"I guess me and Hopps could get some more time in the midfield and really crack on this year. And that's what we tried to do.
"Doing alright so far but only six games in, so still a long season."
Taranto was delighted but not surprised to see the Giants forward talisman Toby Greene return from injury to impact Saturday's game with three goals, 18 touches and seven marks
"He just creates that contest and draws a lot of defenders in and makes us a ten-times better forward line," Taranto said.
GWS crushed Sydney 175-141 in the contested possession count, as they rebounded from a lacklustre effort against Fremantle the previous week.
"Last week we got touched up on our contested ball and spread from Freo so that was our focus as a midfield group to go in hard and get on the outside and run both ways really hard," Taranto said.
"We got taught a lesson last week. They had a really good midfield and they towelled us up so we had to stand up this week and we did."
