‘Shattered’: GWS captain Toby Greene out to redeem himself after horror final against Swans

Toby Greene was completely blanketed by Dane Rampe in Saturday’s final, with the GWS skipper vowing to do better to guide the Giants towards premiership glory.

Giants captain Toby Greene is confident his team will bounce back this week against Brisbane after admitting he felt “shattered” following the qualifying final loss to the Swans.

Greene was kept goalless against the Swans in a dominant defensive display by Dane Rampe. It’s the third time this season that Rampe has kept Greene goalless when they’ve been matched up, with the veteran defender even managing to hit the scoreboard himself on Saturday.

But Greene felt the loss harder than most, missing several chances he would usually convert in front of goal. That included one in the first quarter where he ran unopposed into a vacant goalsquare and missed his kick to the right.

“We were shattered, I was shattered Saturday night after the game,” Greene said. “From all reports, it was a good spectacle, but that doesn’t mean much to us, we desperately wanted to win.

Toby Greene was dejected on the final siren on Saturday. Picture: Matt King/AFL Photos/via Getty Images.

“I was super flat missing those goals, especially when we could have gone up by a bit and we probably missed a couple of easy set shots as well. But that’s footy, and that’s why you practice it every week.

“I’ll hold myself on it and put time and effort into getting better. It’s never something I take for granted taking shots on goal, I want to make the most of them and hopefully I can.”

In reviewing the game, the overarching message from the Giants is that they were pleased with their first three quarters against Sydney. The Swans led for fewer than six minutes in the entire match, but it was enough to book their direct passage to the preliminary final.

Greene knows that he has an important role to play in ensuring the team bounces back against the Lions this Saturday. The morning after the defeat, he sent the playing group a message encouraging them to put the performance behind them.

After a 2023 campaign that ended in heartbreaking fashion against Collingwood, the Giants know they have to make the most of finishing in the top four. For Greene, that’s less about his own individual showing and getting the best out of his teammates.

“We were pretty flat in the rooms after the game and everyone had every right to be,” Greene said.

“We earned a second chance and we’ve got to use it. That’s why you finish top four, it gives you a chance to go again if you do have a loss. We felt like we probably played the right way for 90 per cent of the game, we just got to put it back up to 100 per cent.

The Giants walk off the SCG after their heartbreaking loss to the Swans. Picture: Matt King/AFL Photos/via Getty Images.

“I want to perform as well as I can, but be the best leader I can be as well. I guess that’s my goal for the next three weeks, hopefully leading the team in the right way and getting some good results.

“I don’t really feel any extra pressure, to be honest. I know what’s required and know what I do.”

The Giants are preparing for their biggest home match since the 2016 preliminary final against the Bulldogs. It’s also their first home final since 2019.

But they’re not taking lightly the challenge that Brisbane poses. They were dominant in their elimination final against Carlton and shifted into cruise control by the second half.

Nullifying some of their key threats like Lachie Neale, Hugh McCluggage and Dayne Zorko will be key for a GWS side hoping to avoid a first-ever straight-sets exit.

“They were impressive, they gave Carlton a good lesson,” Greene said. “It was pretty much game over at halftime.

“They’ve got plenty of finals experience and plenty of experience in their team, so we know what’s coming. Lachie Neale is a pretty handy player so I reckon we put in a bit of work to him and then their forward’s line is dangerous as well. It’s threats all over the park.

“We take a little bit (out of the round 22 win). We know what worked and they were going really good at the time.

“We know we’re up against it, we’ve got to come and bring it.”

Originally published as ‘Shattered’: GWS captain Toby Greene out to redeem himself after horror final against Swans