The shared sense of elation and triumph after a hard fought win is what Daniel Giansiracusa will miss most when his playing career comes to a close in front of a home crowd this weekend.

But the forward is hopeful he can experience that euphoria once more with a win against their northern counterparts the GWS Giants, in his final game in Bulldogs colours on Sunday.

“That’s what I play for that ten minutes after the game… that enjoyment that you get, that you spend with your teammates after you’ve been through two hours of hard work,” Giansiracusa said.

“That’s probably the main thing, the camaraderie.”

While the constant rhythm of the long and gruelling AFL season hasn’t allowed the 32-year-old much time to reminisce, his final week of training has brought with it a sense of emotion and occasion.  

“I think you do reflect a bit over a week like this but as I said I’ve had an amazing time, I’ve had some great memories,” he said.

“I’ve been involved in some pretty successful teams and am pretty proud of what we’ve been able to put out on the park.”

A shared bond with fellow 1999 draftee Bob Murphy is something that has stood out in Giansiracusa’s memory of his time at the kennel - and his teammate’s glowing endorsement in his weekly column in The Age shows that feeling is reciprocated.

While a level of competitiveness has always underlined their friendship, both claim the relationship has bettered them as players and people. 

“There’s definitely a competitiveness there with the both of us, even though we probably didn’t say it too much,” he said.

“Coming in as 17-year-olds they put us up against each other, but we’ve bounced off each other – pretty different types of guys I think but doing that waltz as he said for the last time on Sunday will be very enjoyable.”

When looking to the future of the Bulldogs and the transition to his new role as coach, Giansiracusa had one piece of advice to his fellow teammates.

“The one thing I talked about was embracing the grind of AFL footy, you can either let it get you down or embrace it and take it on and that is what I’ve tried to do in the 15 years that I’ve played,” he said.