Stephen Coniglio rejected up to $3 million to sign seven-year deal to stay with GWS Giants
Stephen Coniglio was reportedly offered up to $1.4 million a season to leave GWS, but has shunned rival offers to re-sign for seven years. Here’s what he sacrificed to stay loyal.
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Superstar midfielder Stephen Coniglio has rejected almost $3 million to stay a Giant.
The hottest free-agent player last night committed his future to Greater Western Sydney, agreeing to a seven-year deal, the longest contract in the club’s history.
The deal almost certainly guarantees him $1 million a season, but is less than offers from Hawthorn, Carlton, West Coast and St Kilda.
EXCLUSIVE: CONIGLIO SIGNS MEGA DEAL TO STAY A GIANT
Those four clubs reportedly presented deals ranging from $1.1 million and $1.4 million a season.
A future captain, it’s clear the culture, direction and leadership at the club played a pivotal role in Coniglio’s decision.
He told his teammates, to ecstatic applause, at a dinner last night.
Giants chief executive David Matthews said Coniglio called on Monday, asking him to catch up for a coffee.
“It was a short conversation, we cleared the pleasantries and it does go through your mind which way it will go, and he simply said: ‘I’m staying’,’’ Matthews told the Herald Sun.
He said Coniglio’s commitment was a “huge, huge compliment to the club’’.
“It’s a great feeling when you think about it from the lens of anyone involved in the club, whether it’s the fans, the sponsors, other players … it’s just a fantastic endorsement of the culture of our club,’’ Matthews said.
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“Stephen is one of the most outstanding people you meet in life, not just an outstanding player, so for us to be able to effectively say Stephen Coniglio is a Giant for life is just a great day in our club’s short history.
“His signing is an endorsement of what our plans are, our aspirations are and what the future looks like. He’s got a fantastic history at our club, but he’s not making a decision based on history, he’s making a decision on the future.
“This is a person who would’ve been confronted with some enormous offers and he’s chosen the Giants home to be his future home.’’
Coniglio’s re-signing follows on from Josh Kelly in April.
Kelly also fielded million-dollar offers from rival clubs — more than the Giants could offer — but stayed a Giant.
Those key signings will play an important role in attracting talent and keeping talent at the Giants, Matthews said.
He also said it was a shot in the arm for the game itself.
“You can write all the strategic plans you like (for expansion), but it’s built on people — the delivery of the plan is the quality of the people — and Stephen will be a face of the game in NSW, the ACT and indeed all of the game because he’s genuinely a big figure in the game,’’ Matthews said.
Coniglio’s parents flew into Sydney last night.
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Originally published as Stephen Coniglio rejected up to $3 million to sign seven-year deal to stay with GWS Giants
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