Stephen Coniglio’s midfield move has given the GWS co-captain a new lease on life and his team is reaping the benefits, stand-in coach Mark McVeigh says.

Coniglio, who has battled form and injury issues over the past two AFL seasons, was trialled in attack earlier this year under former coach Leon Cameron.

But McVeigh, who took the reins when Cameron departed last month, has moved the Giants’ co-captain back to his preferred position.

It paid dividends on Sunday, when Congilio had 34 disposals, 14 contested possessions and five clearances against North Melbourne, and capped the brilliant performance with three goals.

The Giants ran out comprehensive 49-point winners at Marvel Stadium.

“Deep down he probably always felt he still had the ability to play in the midfield, and we hadn’t seen that a lot,” McVeigh said.

“He played forward at times but he’s just being a pure midfielder now and his energy and leadership have just gone through the roof.

“Our players are feeding off that.

“The position change has helped that mentality a little bit and he’s getting consistency with his body, which is great.”

McVeigh said part of his role is to settle the GWS team and he is keen to see players in their best positions.

But one experiment is paying off, with leading goal-kicker Harry Himmelberg starring in defence against the Kangaroos.

The versatile tall did as he pleased, racking up 37 disposals, 16 marks and 11 intercepts.

“He was pretty good,” McVeigh said, allowing himself a grin.

“He kicked the ball at 92 per cent and that’s a highlight, we knew that’s what we were going to get.

“We knew we had to fix up our ball movement a little bit and he was a major part of that, but I loved his defence at times as well.

“He’s not just there to kick the ball, he actually can defend.”

One sour note during the Giants’ big win came when Harry Perryman was taken to hospital with possible lung and rib damage following a huge collision with Flynn Perez.

“It looked nasty and we probably expect the worst there unfortunately,” McVeigh said.

“He’s such a major part of our footy club and team, so fingers crossed it’s not as bad.

“He’s well, he’s OK, but there’s more than likely something there. But he’s in good spirits, which is a good thing.”