Toby Greene claims GWS Giants best-and-fairest in tight finish
THE rebirth of Toby Greene as a footballer has been completed as he snared his first Kevin Sheedy Medal at the GWS Giants awards.
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THE rebirth of Toby Greene as a footballer has been completed as he snared his first Kevin Sheedy Medal at the GWS Giants awards.
Taking out the club’s premier individual award tops a stellar year for Greene after he also claimed All-Australian honours in 2016 and completely transformed himself from a midfielder into a dynamic forward.
Only two years ago Greene’s career was at a crossroads after he was charged with assault at a Melbourne hotel and was read the riot act by the Giants.
But the 23-year-old has turned a corner on and off the field and developed into one of the leaders of the Giants’ new breed of talent.
In a tight finish to voting, Greene only took the lead in Round 23 before a huge finals series saw him finish with 151 votes, just three ahead of midfielder Tom Scully (148).
Senior players Heath Shaw, Shane Mumford, Callan Ward and Jeremy Cameron are the previous Kevin Sheedy Medal winners, so Greene’s ascension to the top of the voting represents a significant changing of the guard for a club on the rise.
“Toby has had an outstanding season and this honour is very well-deserved,” coach Leon Cameron said.
“We challenged Toby with a new role early in the season and he exceeded all expectations and took his game to a new level.
“I’m proud to watch the growth of Toby as both a footballer and a person and this is an outstanding achievement at such a young age.”
Another midfielder in Stephen Coniglio finished in third place with 146 votes while Josh Kelly (144) and vice-captain Shaw (141) also finished in the top five.
Greene was ranked equal second in the AFL for goal assists, third in the league for inside 50s and averaging 21.3 possessions per game.
In other award categories, youngster Kelly won the coaches award and ruckman Mumford was the defensive award.
Jacob Hopper was named Rising Star after his extraordinary debut against the Gold Coast, and Coniglio took out the most valuable player award as voted by fans and members.
TOP FIVE
Toby Greene (151 votes)
Tom Scully (148 votes)
Stephen Coniglio (146 votes)
Josh Kelly (144 votes)
Heath Shaw (141)
Originally published as Toby Greene claims GWS Giants best-and-fairest in tight finish
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