GWS star Toby Greene to dress as the Karate Kid to go down the Big Freeze slide for FightMND
It’s the nickname that plagued Giants star Toby Greene for a long time but the high-flying forward has chosen to embrace the ‘Karate Kid’ tag in the name of raising cash for MND research in Big Freeze 6.
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There were many options kicked about, but there could be only one.
And it was as simple as wax-on, wax-off.
Move aside, Daniel-san — the AFL’s ‘Karate Kid’ will hit the icy slide in aid of FightMND, with Giants star Toby Greene learning to embrace his infamous nickname.
The All-Australian forward — complete with headband made famous by Mr Miyagi’s charge in the 1984 film — consulted Greater Western Sydney fans, players and club staff before settling on the costume for Monday’s Big Freeze, a nod to his controversial history and former trademark marking style.
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“I’ve gone as the Karate Kid – there were a few good ideas thrown around by our fans and the guys around the club, but this was the general consensus,” Greene said.
“I’ve had my fair share of contentious moments over the years so I thought this was a good opportunity to embrace it and have some fun for a really good cause.
“I’ve just got to make sure I enter the ice with studs down.”
Greene, who claimed the club’s 2016 best and fairest award, has had his karate-style studs-up marking action come under fire in recent years.
He was fined for misconduct in 2017 after he collected then-Western Bulldog Luke Dahlhaus in the face with his boot, and was assessed again but let off in 2018 for a similar action on then-Swan Nic Newman, which was deemed to be below the impact threshold required for match review penalty.
The 26-year-old had employed the style since he was a child, Greene said at the time, but the league moved swiftly to outlaw the action at the end of 2018.
Greene, whose slide will feature alongside 17 other AFL stars in today’s broadcast of the sixth Big Freeze, which raises cash for research into a cure for motor neurone disease, said he was thrilled to be nominated for the bone-freezing task.
“I was rapt to get the nomination and really glad to be able to be part of the day,” he said.
“I’ve seen the work that Neale Daniher and the FightMND guys have done in recent years and it’s a privilege to be a part of it.”
BIG FREEZE 6 WILL AIR ON MONDAY, JUNE 8 AT 2PM IN SYDNEY AND 4PM IN MELBOURNE
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