GWS Giants head coach Leon Cameron has hit back at criticism over the way the club treated first-year captain Stephen Coniglio last season, adamant the relationship is “stronger than ever”.

Coniglio’s challenging start to his captaincy was revealed in the new Amazon Prime documentary Making Their Mark.

In one of the documentary’s more confronting scenes, Cameron tells Coniglio he has been dropped from the Giants senior side for the penultimate game of the season against Melbourne — the first time an AFL captain had been dropped for performance reasons in more than 20 years.

“Today’s even tougher mate, I’m not going to play you his week,” Cameron tells a stunned Coniglio, whose struggles to hold back tears.

“We had a good discussion with match committee, you’re just out of form.

“I don’t take that lightly. This is a really, really hard decision. Really hard one. But mate, just the output at the moment is just not there.

“So absorbing this conversation and me delivering it to you is pretty bloody God-damn hard. And we’re going into a cut-throat game this week. But I have to make this decision, Cogs.

“The cold hard facts internally: out of form, need to get back in form and lead the charge. That’s what I need from you.”

Coniglio is consoled by veteran teammate Heath Shaw who later confronts Cameron and voices his disagreement with the decision.

Just days after the documentary went to air, Cameron said he had sought out his captain to speak about how the axing unfolded on screen.

“Myself and Stephen have had some great conversations about it and our relationship couldn’t be stronger,” Cameron told AFL 360 on Monday night.

“When you put yourself out there, you have to take the good and the bad, and it would have been good if we had the documentary in 2019 when we made the grand final but not to be and we had a tough year.

“The viewing for footy fans and more importantly the Giants to see that raw emotion and that raw footage of what happens behind closed doors at a footy club can only be beneficial.

“It’s a bit awkward sometimes watching those moments. You look at yourself on screen and you judge yourself quite harshly.”