- Stephen Coniglio has battled back from awful injury run
- GWS Giants star is finally back on the field
GWS Giants star Stephen Coniglio now swears by Botox injections following a bold recommendation from dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe.
Fremantle midfielder Fyfe – who is no stranger to injury setbacks across his AFL career – heard from Dockers teammate Jaeger O’Meara that Coniglio was desperately searching for answers when it came to an issue with the nerves in his buttock.
Nothing seemed to aid Coniglio’s recovery, be it cortisone injections, acupuncture or advice from medical experts overseas.
So Fyfe texted the Giants legend and suggested Botox in a bid to get him back chasing a Sherrin.
Coniglio was all ears – and he returned in GWS’ 48-point win over Essendon at Marvel Stadium on July 17, finishing with 18 disposals.
‘Footy works in funny ways sometimes. Nat (Fyfe) messaged me and said to potentially look at a Botox procedure. Telling your wife you’re having a Botox injection in your backside is funny,’ Coniglio told AFL.com.au
GWS Giants star Stephen Coniglio (pictured with wife Rebecca) now swears by Botox injections following a recommendation from dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe
The father of two has battled a glute complaint since round three this season
Coniglio returned in GWS’ 48-point win over Essendon – and now is eyeing off September glory
‘(GWS’ head of performance health) Matt Cameron also spoke to a few people at Fremantle about Nat’s experience. We ended up going down that route and finding someone who would do it in Sydney.
‘I was happy to try anything. After seven days I could still feel the sharp neural pain when I ran, but after 10 days I couldn’t feel a thing. It has worked.’
Meanwhile, the Giants are currently in sixth spot on the ladder with 48 points as they try to shore up a spot in the finals, but only trail Geelong (fourth) and Hawthorn (fifth) on percentage.
A blockbuster on home soil awaits on Friday night against the Swans, who appear to have finally clicked into gear this season.
Coniglio has been with the Giants since their inception in 2012, and watched on injured as his team lost the 2019 grand final.
At 31, he knows opportunities to win a flag are fading – which is why he can’t thank Fyfe enough for his medical suggestion.
‘(With the glute injury) I was worried about when I was going to be able to run freely, or even play again,’ he said.
‘I couldn’t see the light, so it was incredibly frustrating, especially after my (other) injuries in the second half of last year.’
Away from footy, the father of two launched ‘Coffee with Cogs’ on YouTube and Apple podcasts in June.
Coniglio has already interviewed media personalities such as Matt Shirvington, Michael Wipfli and Melissa Doyle.
