Toby Greene’s journey from ‘unassuming’ Oakleigh Chargers player to 250 games with GWS Giants
On the cusp of his 250th AFL appearance, we examine the surprising origins of Toby Greene’s career and the qualities that transformed him from an overlooked recruit into one of the AFL’s most formidable leaders.
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When footy fans think of Giants captain Toby Greene, many words would come to mind.
There’s no doubting he’s a mercurial talent capable of the impossible, while others would be quick to bring up his willingness to push the line on the field, which has also taken a fair whack out of his own hip pocket.
But one word that might not seem to fit Greene is “unassuming”. However, that’s exactly how he was described when he first came on the radar at the Oakleigh Chargers.
As the GWS skipper prepares to celebrate his 250th AFL game on Saturday afternoon, his current legacy as one of the game’s most damaging players is a far cry from the teenager who emerged as a genuine talent in suburban Victoria.
UNDER THE RADAR
Greene always wanted to be a footballer, but in the early stages, it wasn’t quite clear if he would have the talent to make it at the senior level.
He missed out on a spot in the Chargers’ squad as an underage player at 17 before the balance of his Wesley College commitments almost saw him miss out the next year as well.
“It was my first year coaching the Chargers when Toby came to pre-season,” Greg Doyle, coach of the 2011 Oakleigh Chargers, said.
“He wasn’t on the Chargers list as a bottom-ager, so he was sort of having another go.
“He was fairly quiet and unassuming through pre-season. And then when we started practice matches, he was just getting a lot of the ball. He was certainly a bit rough around the edges, and his field kicking wasn’t great.
“But at the end of the day, the key to playing football is being able to get it first and then you can work on the skills afterwards.”
The Oakleigh squad that season was filled with talent that would eventually end up on AFL lists. Dom Tyson, Jack Viney, Adam Tomlinson, Jack Macrae and even Lin Jong were among Greene’s teammates as he pushed for a chance to impress.
250th AFL game coming up for Giants champ Toby Greene. Was drafted from the Oakleigh Chargers in 2011, a grand final season for the club. Some good names on the list - and future VFL premiership player Damian Mascitti won the best and fairest. pic.twitter.com/SfJ0mJSfOK
— Paul Amy (@PaulAmy375) May 19, 2025
But he couldn’t quite find an avenue to stand out, and on the cusp of dropping out of the squad, the point was made to him that it was now or never.
“He was a quieter type and wasn’t really standing out from the group,” former Oakleigh Talent Manager Mark Smart said. “His kicking was a bit loose, and with 90-odd players training, he just blended in.
“We were out at Bulleen Park in February of 2011 playing practice games to finalise our squad for the TAC Cup. Greg and I had a chat with him after one of the matches and put a bit of a rocket up him to show us a bit more.
“From that point on, he started applying himself and lifted his intensity and impact at both training and games. His work rate improved, and so did everything else.”
For his Chargers teammate Damian Mascitti, who eventually pipped him to the club’s best and fairest in 2011, it was an incredibly quick rise considering it was almost over before it all began.
“As he acknowledges, he didn’t really even get on the list until one of the last people at Oakleigh,” Mascitti said.
“Then he started the year amazingly, went from strength to strength and before you knew it, he was easily one of our best players and really dominating.
“(The B & F) is my claim to fame. There was maybe nine blokes drafted from memory and quite a few went on to play state league. It’s one I’ll tell the grandkids one day.”
THE BREAKOUT
Greene began to win plenty of the ball, including 31 touches and six score involvements in a round three loss to Sandringham. However, he wasn’t initially on the radar of the Vic Metro selectors ahead of the under-18 national championships.
He knew he had to take matters into his own hands, and a chance phone call to find some top-up players for an intraclub match was the moment when his destiny changed.
“I coached with Rowan Welsh at the Chargers and two years as his assistant at Vic Metro,” Doyle said.
“After three or four rounds, he rang me and said, ‘Look, we need some top-up kids for the Metro squad to play our intra-club practice match.
“They needed players for a B team, and I said, ‘You should pick Toby’ as well as a couple of others. He had to have a look at him.
“So, he played a Vic Metro trial game in the B team, and they played him on the halfback flank. I couldn’t get to the game, but Rowan rang me and said he was best on ground.”
“The game was at Ikon Park in the wet and Toby was on the weaker side, and he just dominated,” Smart added.
“He was clean in the slippery conditions, danced around opponents and hit the scoreboard.”
It was the only look Welsh needed, immediately bringing Greene into the Vic Metro squad, where he emerged as a bonafide superstar.
He averaged 24.5 disposals a game, more than half of his touches were contested possessions, as well as an average of 10 score involvements per match.
Not only did he help lead Vic Metro to the National Championship title, but he was named as centre in the All-Australian squad for the tournament, a side that included future teammates like Stephen Coniglio and Lachie Whitfield. The Greene machine was just getting started.
Doyle said: “It was a very quick progression from a kid who was maybe going to make our list, to three or four months later being selected at centre in the All-Australian team.”
READY TO LEAD
While he might have lacked the confidence in those early stages, he certainly showed some of the same characteristics that he’s become well-known for in the AFL.
Naturally, his fiery personality has been a mainstay, and he wasn’t afraid to get stuck into opponents even as a teenager.
“He was always the white-line fever sort of guy from my memories at Oakleigh, but in a really good competitive way,” Mascitti said.
“He just didn’t take a backward step, and I guess that’s what everyone sees now. Nothing’s changed, he was just a dog-eat-dog operator, he wouldn’t back down.”
Doyle describes Greene as a “niggly character” during his under-18 years, while Smart received a stern call or two after a weekend’s game.
“Toby always played for keeps, and his combative instincts and desire to win at all costs sometimes got me into trouble with the AFL Victoria Talent Operations Manager – John Hook, who was my boss,” Smart said.
“Hooky would ring me on Monday mornings and tell me to chat with that ‘Toby Greene’ about his aggression and physicality in games with some players from the weekend. He and Devon Smith (Geelong Falcons) used to go at each other a bit.
“But that was just his competitiveness; he played on the edge back then, and that’s what makes him the player he is.”
After averaging a bit over 30 disposals for the rest of the season at Oakleigh, he eventually did enough to impress the GWS recruiters and the rest, as they say, is history.
He transitioned out of the midfield and into the front half, kicking 393 goals to establish himself as one of this era’s great small forwards. But it’s his emergence as a leader that has left many questioning just how much he might have ‘reformed’.
But in reality, this is the Greene that has been there all along. And those who saw him rise through the ranks couldn’t be more honoured to have played a small part in the journey of a player who will go down as one of the all-time greats.
“His actions always led more than his words,” Mascitti said. “He was a pretty quiet guy around the club, but his actions just made him such a good leader, and he’s developed into without doubt one of the best captains in the league.”
Smart added: “To stay at the Giants as one of the original draftees is a real credit to his loyalty. I’m sure he had some huge offers to go elsewhere. He has watched many other high-profile teammates return to Victorian clubs over the years.
“I love that he is a Dad, and husband and has a beautiful family. I love that he regularly references the loving support of his mum.
“We still exchange texts every now and then, and I wish him all the best in this special milestone game. I’m very proud of him and what he has achieved so far in his career.”
Originally published as Toby Greene’s journey from ‘unassuming’ Oakleigh Chargers player to 250 games with GWS Giants
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