AFL’s Stephen Coniglio opens up about his faith

GWS Giants captain Stephen Coniglio reflects on the pivotal role Christianity plays in his life, both on and off the field.

GWS Giants fans are about to see a more vulnerable side to their captain Stephen Coniglio in Amazon Prime Video’s new fly-on-the-wall documentary series Making Their Mark.

“I do have a strong faith and I’m very blessed.” (Picture: Supplied)

Coniglio tells Stellar On Friday that in the 11 years he’s played AFL, he has never really spoken about the pivotal role his Christianity plays both on and off the field. Now that’s changing.

“It’s something I haven’t talked about a lot or ever been asked a question about: my faith. But it’s part of who I am and the best thing about the documentary,” he says.

“Even now, I’ve got teammates who I wouldn’t know if they believe in God. It’s not something we talk about in public. For me it’s a real authentic version of myself. I do have a strong faith and I’m very blessed.”

Find more exclusives inside this Sunday’s Stellar.

The series follows six teams during the 2020 AFL season, which was a challenging one for Coniglio, who was dropped from the team. Still, he says he hopes that by showing his vulnerability on camera, tears and all, he can encourage others to be open with their own emotions.

“I’m very passionate about representing the Giants. It means a lot more to me than a game. That’s the real me. I’m a player with a lot of emotion. I can talk about vulnerabilities now in a way I’m not really ashamed of. I think people will see that,” he says.

“Instead of bottling up emotions you need to let it out in some way, with someone. It’s been pretty normal for our footy team. That’s what I’m proud of. We’ve normalised those vulnerabilities and talk openly around those topics. It’s super important.”