‘Biggest moment of the game’: Behind the moment Toby Greene stunned Geelong
Toby Greene has been under fire for a slow start to the season, but with the most important kick of Saturday’s thrilling win over Geelong, he showed you can never write him off.
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Late in the final quarter of the thrilling Geelong-Giants clash on Saturday, you could hear a pin drop around GMHBA Stadium.
It wasn’t the first time silence reverberated around the ground as the rejuvenated Giants eventually registered their fourth-straight win at the venue. But this was different. It was a hush, followed by the collective sound of nearly 30,000 jaws hitting the floor.
The Cats had all the momentum, finishing the final quarter with 24 inside 50s to the Giants’ five.
But with their lone scoring shot of the term, Giants skipper Toby Greene, who has been prone to produce the remarkable throughout his career, kicked a goal that had to be seen to be believed.
“Of course, Toby is the one that stands up and delivers,” GWS coach Adam Kingsley said.
“It’s not just a goal, but an inside-out, banana kick from 40 metres out. It was incredible, probably the biggest moment of the game.”
To most at the stadium, it was a stunning piece of individual brilliance only a handful of players in the competition could conjure. For Greene, and some of his teammates, it was just Toby being Toby.
“Yeah, I’ll take it,” an admittedly coy Greene said.
“It’s something I practice a lot. As soon as I took the ball, I thought I’d have a ping and it was lucky enough to go in.
“I always try and put myself in a position to help us. I’d rather go down missing that than not be in the position to try it.”
“He does it time and time again, it’s not really a fluke,” Kieren Briggs added.
“He’s a crafty little guy and he steps up when we need him. That’s what leaders do.”
Last year’s All-Australian captain found himself under the pump to start the season. Not only had the Giants gone into the Geelong match with four losses in their past five games, but the 30-year-old’s form was attracting attention.
As many of his teammates said at the time, they had no concerns over their skipper and backed him to deliver when it mattered.
After three goals against the Western Bulldogs and a best-on-ground performance against the Cats, Greene is back at his best, and then some.
“Maybe he hasn’t impacted the scoreboard as well as what he had last year over the start of the season, but his impact in multiple areas is still strong,” Kingsley said.
“That was on display again. And he finished his work a little better than what he has.
“He’s desperate to win, he’s desperate to do whatever it takes to help his teammates win. More often than not, he delivers.”
While he’s always been able to deliver moments of magic, it’s another step in the evolution of Greene’s leadership that he is inspiring his teammates to do the same.
On Saturday, Jake Riccardi kicked four, including one from the centre square, in a dominant key forward performance after just one goal in the past three weeks. Leek Aleer also had his headline moment in his seventh AFL game, producing two stunning intercept marks late to help seal the game for the Giants.
This is no longer a team that requires to be carried on Greene’s back. But he’s in the position where he can chip in and put the cherry on top when required.
“I’m trying to help out where I can and encourage the young boys to play that way, play to our strengths,” Greene said. “That’s what I want to be known for. I want to help build an environment that is high-performing and works on their game.
“I’m really enjoying it and it was great to see some of those boys take their moments.
“We wanted to find a bit of our identity again. Pressure, step in and score from defence and that’s how we scored all game.
“In the last quarter, it was the fundamentals letting them back into it. Sometimes you just gotta win ugly and that’s what happened.
“To be 7-4, it could have been 6-5 and lost four in a row. It is a big win, especially after the last few weeks we wanted to respond. A lot of young boys stood up. That’s why we won the game.”
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