AFL news: Toby Greene’s ban for umpire contact increased to six weeks, analysis

After his three-game ban became six, Toby Greene is again in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Which begs the question, is he a victim of reputation or justifiably punished?

“Is this guy a moron? Or has he just done some dumb things on the footy field?”

This came from an unexpected source who had just received a news alert via social media on their mobile phone and knew enough about the AFL to know that Toby Greene was a big deal.

The pause when going to answer sums up where most of the football world is when it comes to the GWS Giants superstar.

There comes a tipping point where the old “Ahhhhh that’s just Toby being Toby” doesn’t wash anymore and your character and reputation starts to take a hit.

Greene is at that crossroad right now.

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Many would argue he’s crossed it but just when you’re ready to write him off as a lost cause who will forever let his team down he’ll go and kick a 70m torpedo after the siren and you’re back in love.

The Giants will again back their man in and then will once again sit him down behind-the-scenes and with either coach Leon Cameron or CEO Dave Matthews giving him the same speech they’ve delivered half-a-dozen times.

“You have to pull your head in. You’re letting your teammates down. You’re too valuable to be sitting on the sidelines. You’re a role model. You’re our next captain.”

🚨 TOBY GREENE 60M TORP AFTER THE SIREN 🚨#AFLGiantsBluespic.twitter.com/QgJy3mJvbp

— AFL (@AFL) June 19, 2021

Sadly on the evidence provided it all seems to go in one ear and out the other for Greene.

The Giants will huff and puff about the latest indiscretion and feel the AFL dudded them by appealing the original three-week suspension for making intentional contact with an umpire.

They just have to live with the fact that it was a shocking look when you consider the influence it has on kids and by extension young people thinking about taking up umpiring.

Whether Greene meant it or not? That’s not the issue here, it’s more about why he found himself in a scenario again where his temper put him in a precarious position.

The Giants have been pushing a “anti-Greene” conspiracy and to be fair you could argue he shouldn’t have got one-week for his instinctive raised forearm on Patrick Dangerfield in Round 21.

For all his brilliance, Toby Greene’s discipline continues to let him down.

But he has got away with plenty over the journey and potentially some of what happened this year could have been avoided if the AFL had come down harder on Greene’s eye massaging of Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontempelli in the 2019 elimination final.

That wasn’t tough, it was cheap and he even admitted to the tribunal that he had “overstepped the mark”.

The tribunal hit him with a wet lettuce leaf fine of $7500.

Would his attitude be different now if he got whacked with three or four weeks and missed out on a grand final then?

Without fail the old school brigade will trot out that it’s just a bit of white line fever and they love how Greene “plays on the edge” but 22 charges, resulting in 14 weeks of suspension and fines of $29,350 through his 10-year career is a bridge too far in anyone’s language.

As for the original question.

Sadly, we will all have to wait until Round 6 next year when we next see Greene to find out the answer.

HIT FOR SIX: WHY GREENE’S BAN WAS DOUBLED

Nick Smart

The AFL has issued a strong message to its players that disrespect for umpires will not be tolerated after GWS Giants star Toby Greene’s three-week-suspension was doubled on Thursday.

At an AFL appeals board hearing, the league successfully argued Greene’s initial three-match ban was “manifestly inadequate” for making “aggressive” contact with umpire Matt Stevic at three quarter-time of the elimination final.

The panel agreed, with board chairman Murray Kellam saying in his verdict of the “need to send a strong message” to footballers at all levels with the “need for the penalty imposed to adequately denounce the conduct.”

“Respect for umpires is at the heart of the integrity of the game … the player implausibly maintained that he was trying to avoid contact with the umpire,” Kellam said in his verdict.

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Toby Greene’s ban has been doubled to six weeks.

“Umpires at all levels have to know that this is the position and that they can carry out their vital function with confidence.

“The image, integrity and the reputation of Australian football must be protected.

“That can only happen if players at all levels act responsibly and honour their obligations to the umpires.”

Earlier at the hearing, AFL legal counsel Jeff Gleeson QC argued the initial ban was far too lenient.

“The look is terrible, if anything Greene leans in (to Stevic),” Gleeson said during proceedings.

“Three weeks is not enough.

“The message that needs to be communicated to Mr Greene, and all players and participants and viewers and umpires and prospective umpires, is you simply do not aggressively touch an umpire.”

Greene’s counsel, Ben Ihle QC, conceded his client was aggressive in his approach but said the AFL could not determine his state of mind at the time of the incident.

He also argued a three-week ban was already a “very, very significant” ban.

“Contact occurred while seeking to demonstrate he was displeased with the call, he was challenging the decision,” Ihle said.

“When one looks at those reasons they are at least a state of mind of recklessness.”

The six-week ban is a huge blow for the Giants, who will be without their star forward for the first five weeks of the season.

Greene, who was present at the virtual hearing and sat stony faced, has already served one week of his ban, which was the Giants’ semi-final loss to Geelong.

The bump in question. Toby Greene walks towards umpire Matt Stevic. Picture: FoxSports

Contact is made. Picture: FoxSports

Greene continues to talk with Stevic. Picture: FoxSports

The six-week ban is a huge blow for the Giants, who will be without their star forward for the first five weeks of the season.

He has already served one week of his ban, in the Giants’ semi-final loss to Geelong which ended their season.

GWS general manager of football Jason McCartney said: “As we said at the time, as a club we maintain that umpires are sacrosanct. We understand the important role they play in our game and they are to be respected at all times.

“Toby apologised for his actions. He is remorseful for the incident that occurred and understands the responsibility he has to umpires specifically, and the game more broadly.

“We accept the suspension and consider the matter finalised.”

Originally published as AFL news: Toby Greene’s ban for umpire contact increased to six weeks, analysis