GWS superstar Toby Greene says Melbourne would suck the enjoyment out of his game and he has no plans to leave Sydney
GWS star Toby Greene plans to play out his career at the Giants despite his roots back in Victoria. An advocate of the Sydney lifestyle, he says it would be “hypocritical” for him to join a Melbourne club.
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The AFL’s most polarising star, Toby Greene, says he would not enjoy his football if he was playing for a Melbourne club.
Greene declared he has no interest in ever heading home to Victoria like former GWS teammates Jon Patton and Dylan Shiel have done.
Instead he wants to play out the rest of his career at the Giants, where he has been given life membership this week as he prepares for his 150th game for the club against Port Adelaide on Sunday on the Gold Coast.
The 26-year-old says he has become “numb” to the abuse he cops from opposition spectators, but believes he would lose his enjoyment for the game if he was living in the AFL fishbowl of Melbourne.
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Greene relishes his lifestyle on Bondi Beach where he is barely recognised, and does not yearn to ever be part of the football epicentre.
“I love Sydney. I love the Giants. And so there’s no reason to leave,” Greene said.
“I’m one of Sydney’s biggest advocates (to mates in Melbourne). It would be hypocritical of me to leave.
“I don’t think I’d enjoy my footy as much probably. I guess you’d get used to being in one of those Melbourne clubs, I just wouldn’t know.
“The only time I’ve really been there is over Christmas. I love going back and seeing friends and family but I love Sydney. That’s why I’m sitting in the sun right now.
“You don’t get this in Melbourne at the moment.”
Greene has been one of the AFL’s most derided players over the past few years, with his standing as a lightning rod for abuse coming in last year’s finals series when he was reported two weeks in a row and copped a suspension.
Stephen Coniglio says Toby Greene would be better received if he played for a big side in Melbourne. Do you agree?
— AFL (@AFL) April 8, 2020
Plus the @GWSGIANTS captain on which clubs came close to luring him, the surprising side of Heath Shaw and more.
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But one of the most influential matchwinners in the competition says he has built up an armour to the outside noise.
“You just become numb to it. Maybe three or four years ago you take a bit more notice and then a couple of years ago you take less notice,” Greene said.
“By this year, I’ve been in most situations and had a lot of people talk about me, so it’s not something I really take notice of or care too much about to be honest.
“I just worry about what I can do for myself and for the footy club and what I have to do and I will probably always be one of those players that’s talked about.
“I guess people like to watch me as well so I take that as a positive.”
More recently, Greene has experienced a rare phenomenon of football fans actually feeling he’s been hard done by.
Over the opening rounds of the competition, Greene did not receive a single free kick, yet was getting pinged for very similar incidents – culminating in a wave of outcry, in his defence, on social media.
“I thought I was getting the Bronx cheers (last week when finally got paid a free kick). But I thought, ‘I haven’t played that bad have I?’ But nah I realised it was for the free kicks,” he said.
“I guess it got played up a little bit but it’s not something I ever think about. Especially not in a game.
“If I get a couple in front of goal that would be nice.”
TARANTO CLOSE TO AFL RECALL
– Jocelyn Airth
Greater Western Sydney’s Tim Taranto had accepted that he’d miss most of the 2020 AFL season.
The star midfielder underwent surgery after dislocating his shoulder during a Marsh Community Series match back in February.
The prognosis: four to five months of rehab, possible return for Round 16.
But that was before COVID-19 shut down the AFL for three months.
On Saturday, Taranto will take the field for the Giants in a practice match against Hawthorn at Tom Wills Oval.
“I can’t complain about that, getting to play more games than I would have is great, I’m honestly just happy to come back and play footy, have a good season and finish it off,” Taranto said.
“I just hope everything outside of football clears up as quickly as possible. It‘s been a weird and tough year.”
The reigning club champion admitted that recovering from shoulder reduction surgery during isolation was tough.
Taranto and his housemate, fellow Giant Harry Himmelberg, turned their apartment car park into a makeshift gym and he chipped away at rehab.
“You’d go two steps forward and one back, there were definitely a couple of weeks where I was really frustrated, probably lost it a bit at the rehab coaches from time to time, there was a patch there that was pretty tough,” Taranto said.
“But the last 5-6 weeks since coming back to club, being able to use all the physios and equipment, having everything available, has made it a lot easier.
“But during the lockdown, I was limited to what I could use, and who I could see, so it was kind of tough during that first part.”
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Taranto’s inevitable return will be a major boost for GWS.
The 22-year-old played every game of the 2019 season and was ranked second in the competition for tackles, and fourth for disposals and kicks.
And the club champion could be back playing AFL footy as early as Round 7 – almost 10 rounds earlier than expected.
“I’ve been in his (GWS coach Leon Cameron’s) ear the last few weeks, done everything I could to show him what I’ve got,” Taranto said.
“Whatever level I’m playing, I’m just happy to be back, I’ll get to have a run around in some form, which will be great.”
GIANTS FIRM AS FLAG FAVOURITES
– Rebecca Williams
Greater Western Sydney has been installed as the fourth outright favourite for the AFL premiership this year.
The Giants closed from $6 to $5 for the 2020 flag with TAB after Brisbane’s loss to Geelong at the SCG on Thursday night.
The Lions, $5 favourites after their win over Port Adelaide before sharing flag favouritism with GWS during the week, have drifted in betting from $6 to $8 after the 27-point defeat.
Last month, Collingwood had taken over the mantle from reigning premiers Richmond in a season of betting fluctuations.
“The form of most teams has fluctuated wildly since the resumption of the 2020 home-and-away season and that is reflected in our market for this year’s premiership,” TAB’s Trent Langskaill said.
“A bad game or two can see the punters lose favour in a side extremely quickly and the creation of hubs has also been noted for teams where it could be seen as beneficial or detrimental.”
The Giants, who play the Power at Metricon Stadium on Sunday, were priced at $8 at the start of the season.
Collingwood and Richmond sit on the second line of premiership betting at $8 with the Lions.
AFL PREMIERSHIP MARKET (Source: TAB)
GWS $5
Brisbane Lions $8
Collingwood $8
Richmond $8
West Coast $9
Geelong $10
Port Adelaide $10
Western Bulldogs $15
Hawthorn $17
St Kilda $21
Essendon $26
North Melbourne $67
Melbourne $67
Gold Coast $67
Carlton $81
Sydney $101
Fremantle $201
Adelaide $501
AFL PREMIERSHIP MARKET FLUCTUATIONS (Source: TAB)
September 28 – Richmond $4.50 after winning 2019 Grand Final
June 20 – Collingwood $6-$5 after beating St Kilda
Richmond $4.50-$5.50 on June 18 after losing to Hawthorn
June 26 – Collingwood $5-$5.50 after losing to GWS (Richmond were $6)
July 3 – Brisbane Lions $7-$6
Collingwood $6-$8 after losing to Essendon
July 4 – Brisbane Lions $6-$5 after defeating Port Adelaide
July 5 – in the morning Brisbane Lions $5-$6 after reviewing the night prior
July 5 – in the evening GWS $7-$6 after defeating Hawthorn
GWS now sharing flag favouritism with the Brisbane Lions
July 9 – GWS $6-$5 after the Brisbane Lions lost to Geelong
Brisbane Lions $6-$8 following the loss