Coming up against your old side is never easy.

Facing them in a final is certainly a unique experience.

In his first season as the Bombers’ defence coach, Daniel Giansiracusa will face that kind of moment in Sunday’s elimination final.

A 265-game champion of the Western Bulldogs, Giansiracusa will help coach his most important game in the red and black against a team he gave so much to.

In a cut-throat final against his former club, many may ponder whether the feelings may be mixed about potentially ending its season.

But an emotion of strangeness won’t encompass Giansiracusa, given he lived through it several weeks earlier.

“I’m looking forward to it, it’s exciting,” Giansiracusa said.

“To be honest, I was pretty toey the first time we played them and quite nervous.

“Obviously, you’ve got strong relationships and connections there. That was quite weird seeing guys you’ve coached with and players that you’ve coached before the game and how to deal with that situation.

“I’m glad it happened three weeks ago and now we can focus on putting in some good work against them.”

In that match three weeks ago, the Bombers shocked the football world in an upset 13-point.

The result proved to be a catalyst in the Dons’ run to the finals, having not dropped a game since defeating the then-ladder-leading Dogs.

Despite spending a full season as an assistant coach for the Bombers, it’d be hard not to think the man nicknamed ‘Gia’ played a big part in toppling the vaunted Dogs outfit in round 21.

Before joining the Bombers, the 39-year-old spent six years at Whitten Oval as an assistant coach, which included holding the title of senior coach for the Bulldogs' VFL side for the previous two seasons.

Despite spending copious years helping develop and nurture the Dogs’ game-plan and players, an ever-humble Giansiracusa played down his role in helping the Dons quell his former side.

“I suppose you know bits and pieces,” Giansiracusa said.

“There’s a lot of different personnel from a playing point of view since I was there, and they’ve even adjusted parts of their game since I was there.

“There’s little things you can hopefully impart the players with in terms of individuals and how they can go about their craft, but it’s funny how quickly footy changes and you leave there, they evolve into something else.

“Obviously, they’re (Bulldogs) a formidable side and have been right at the top of the ladder all year.

“They’re quite balanced all over the field. Hopefully we’ve got a bit of a blueprint we can go to work on and if we can execute it, I think we can give it a real shake.”

As the Dons look to win their first final since 2004, Giansiracusa will undoubtably be hoping to oversee a successful defensive demolition of the Dogs.

Essendon’s backline has grown substantially this season, given a host of players are experiencing their first season playing in the back six.

Forward-turned-defenders Jayden Laverde and James Stewart have shone in key positions, captain Dyson Heppell and Tom Cutler have made successful transitions from the midfield to half-back, while recruit Nick Hind has re-discovered and executed his role as a dashing defender.

It’s linear with the growth of the whole playing group, as the Bombers have exceeded expectations in a year which was dubbed by senior coach Ben Rutten as having ‘no ceilings’.

As his young and inexperienced defensive group prepares for their sternest test of the season, Giansiracusa couldn’t be prouder of the development his charges have shown.

“That gradual growth has been outstanding,” he said.

“They’re great to work with, and they’ve really embraced that unit-type mindset and helping each other out not only on match day, but throughout the week. They put the time in to prepare really well.

“That’s where you see growth in your game when you go to work on the craft that’s needed to play backline and also connecting really well with the mids and the other players up the field to make sure we’re a strong defensive unit.

“It’s always good to see growth and I think we have confidence that we’re moving in the right direction.”