Toby Greene heads to AFL tribunal after GWS Giants captain suspended

GWS Giants to fight one-match suspension Captain Toby Greene in the AFL tribunal, as well as the one that offered forward Jesse Hogan. Greene was put under scrutiny after colliding with Jordan Boyd during a marking contest in the Giants’ 19-point win over Carlton on Saturday night.

In scenes reminiscent of Peter Wright clashes with Harry Cunningham which resulted in the Essendon player being suspended for four matches, Greene jumped into the air and struck Boyd’s head with his shoulder. Greene apparently didn’t know where the ball was and braced for impact when he caught Boyd in the face.

Greene and teammate Jesse Hogan were handed a one-match ban by the match review judge on Sunday and will miss Brisbane’s Anzac Day clash in Canberra unless they are successful in the tribunal, after Hogan struck Blues defender Lewis Young in the face with his left hand during a scuffle in the goal area in the final quarter.

Giants players will present their case to a tribunal on Tuesday, a week after Lions forward Charlie Cameron avoids one-match ban due to “exceptional and compelling circumstances” resulting from a clean sheet in 207 matches.

Greene has a history of conflict with AFL match official and tribunal, but GWS coach Adam Kingsley was adamant his captain did not deserve a suspension for the Boyd incident. The Carlton player suffered significantly less injuries than Cunningham in the Wright incident.

“It’s not going to be anything,” Kingsley said after the Giants’ 17.15 (117) to 15.8 (98) victory. “He’s got a right to fight the ball, right? He’s got a right to go for the ball?

“And if you’re running and diving for the ball, and you’ve got your eyes on the ball, and you’re trying to make a mark on your chest, and you get knocked down… a free kick against? It’s tough being Toby.”

But David King told Fox Footy: “He’s in trouble. I think Toby’s in trouble. As soon as you stop going for the ball… you can’t put yourself above the next player. The rules have changed.”

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The Lions have their own problems ahead of their clash with the Giants, but it’s more down to their waning form, with Chris Fagan’s side reduced to their lowest ever score at the Gabba, losing by 26 points to high-flying Geelong.

Brisbane lost 9.9 (63) to 4.13 (37) in sweltering conditions caused by torrential rain – marking a third consecutive home defeat for last year’s finalists. The Lions have won all 13 matches they have played at the Gabba in 2023, but 12 months on it is no longer the same fortress.

Fagan said Geelong outsmarted his team in the rain but he didn’t think it was time to panic despite just two wins in their first six games. “We had created a bit of a fortress for ourselves and now that’s being challenged,” he said.

“We’ve got to stay positive, keep working and I know it will turn around. I don’t think any particular teams are doing anything to us to make it happen, it’s just one of those things in sport. We haven’t had any disastrous performances but we’ve found ways to lose without taking credit away from our opponents.

“We exaggerate where teams are in the table at this point in the year. Look at the table after 13 games last year. The Swans and Giants won five games, Carlton four and a half.”

All three teams Fagan mentioned finished in the top eight, while the Giants and Blues made it to the play-in finals. “We’re 2-4. It doesn’t look good, but we’ve still got a lot of season left and I’m a big believer in our group,” Fagan added. “There’s a reason for that. We’ve got to stay positive and get through this. We’ve got to find a way to win on Thursday, we just have to find a way.”

But Lions fans were unimpressed with the team’s performance in the wet conditions, with some calling the performance “pathetic” and “awful”.

from AAP