“Having no impact”: Why King has GWS star in the gun ahead of Lions Semi-Final

David King has put GWS midfielder Stephen Coniglio in the gun ahead of Saturday’s Semi-Final against Brisbane.

The 30-year-old had just 14 disposals and two clearances in last week’s six-point loss to Sydney and King thinks that Coniglio is struggling due to a shoulder injury he suffered in Round 18 against Richmond.

While Coniglio missed four games as a result of the injury, King thinks that he’s still dealing with the after-effects of it, and he expects him to head in for off-season surgery to rectify the issue.

Even though King understands that Coniglio is playing through pain, he thinks that he simply has to put his body on the line and play a tough, contested brand against the Lions if he’s to make an impact on the game.

“I’ve got Stephen Coniglio in the gun this week after watching him against Sydney,” King said on SEN Breakfast.

“I know he's injured. I know he's got a shoulder and a complaint that's probably going to require off-season surgery.

“But I've watched him in the last three weeks. He's having no impact because he's avoiding contact now.

“I think they've got to make a decision. You’re either going to play and fight through this and push through - I know it's difficult and I know that he'd be getting some sort of, assistance in terms of a jab into his shoulder – but he has to put his body on the line.”

If Coniglio can’t play in his usual fashion due to the pain, King doesn’t think he should play at all.

He called on coach Adam Kingsley to make that decision if that’s an unfortunate reality for the 216-gamer.

“We're at that stage of the season where there's no other option. If he's going to play no contact footy, he can't play,” King said.

“He doesn’t need to ‘toughen up’, but I think they need to make the right call, either play and embrace what comes with that or don’t play.

“The coach may have to make that call.”

Coniglio has been named to start in the followers at this stage. Saturday’s Sem-Final against Brisbane at ENGIE Stadium begins at 7:30 pm (AEST).