Essendon assistant coach Daniel Giansiracusa's ambitions to be an AFL senior coach remain alive, with the former Bulldog ready to take on greater responsibilities in the coaches box should the opportunity arise.
Awarded the Assistant Coach of the Year title in 2020, Giansiracusa has looked to build a formidable CV as a coach since retiring after 265 games with the Western Bulldogs.
The 40-year-old remained at the Kennel after hanging up the boots to lead the Dogs' forward line under new coach Luke Beveridge, playing a part in the club's premiership triumph a season later in 2016.
Giansiracusa would gain senior coaching experience through landing the top job for the Dogs' VFL outfit Footscray in 2019.
Ahead of the 2021 season Giansiracusa made the venture to Essendon as an assistant coach under rookie campaigner Ben Rutten, having recently missed out on the senior coaching vacancy at North Melbourne - a role that would be handed to David Noble.
Giansiracusa's name has been linked as prominently to other coaching vacancies since, but the Bombers assistant has revealed he still has plans to take the next step into the hot seat.
"Yeah I do (still have ambitions to be a senior coach)," Giansiracusa told RSN.
"I'm enjoying my time coaching, I love it. Turn up every day and there's always something different going on. You're either out on the track or behind a desk looking at vision, learning all the time.
"Now I've got an opportunity to learn off a guy like Brad (Scott), who has obviously been in the hot seat.
"I know it's a stressful job, but I'll just keep trying to get better. If that opportunity comes I'd grab it with both hands."
Now playing a key part in Brad Scott's maiden campaign at Tullamarine, Giansiracusa has been impressed by the former Kangaroos coach since the first day he stepped foot into the club.
Looking to galvanise his new squad, Scott has looked to implement new strategies in recent months as the Bombers plan to improve on their dissapointing 2022 campaign under Rutten.
"He brings a presence about him," Giansiracusa said of his new senior coach.
"He got on the front foot the first day he walked into the club and talked about some key things he wants to implement with the group.
"We wanna be a group that grinds it out and gets up for the arm wrestle... it's what we're looking for.
"The game at the moment is about momentum. When we've got it we wanna score, but when the opposition has got it we gotta try and negate them.
"We're constantly working on that as a group, whether it be training, looking through vision and educating that way. Time will tell.
"We gotta make sure we're ready to go on the park, but we're definitely looking to do that as a group."
Essendon will open their new era under Scott against Hawthorn when the two Victorian clubs clash at the MCG on Sunday, March 19.
