Toby Greene opens up on journey to 200 AFL games

As he prepares for a significant milestone, AFL star Toby Greene revealed what’s driving his premiership dreams.

Toby Greene will play his 200th game for the GWS Giants. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Toby Greene didn’t even know how to make his bed when he moved to Sydney after being drafted among the inaugural intake of GWS players in 2011.

More than a decade later, he’s about to play his 200th game as captain, a role he never thought he’d be good at, and one of the best players in the AFL having worked hard to mature but still knowing he’s never “more than 30 seconds away” from one of the mad moments that littered his early career.

Greene, now 29, has evolved from a self-confessed “hacking mid” who regularly racked up 40-possession games during the Giants’ fledgling years into one of the most damaging players in the game via a work ethic even first-year GWS coach Adam Kingsley said was beyond any of his teammates.

Despite that growth, as a player, a person and a leader, Greene said he was still “not satisfied” with his achievements and believes his role now is to steer the club and its next generation of players towards success.

“I reckon I’ve got the most out of myself, but I still want to be playing for five or six years, or whatever it is, so I’ve got a lot to go on with,” Greene said on Thursday.

“I’m one of the older boys now and we’ve got a good group of 18 to 23 year-olds that I’m responsible for now. I want to see them get to their potential and ultimately that’ll make us a better team.

Toby Greene and his teammates showing support for the 200 gamer. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“So that’s sort of what it’s about for me now, sort of changed from when I was 24 or 25 and I was really obsessed with my personal performance and probably thought about it too much.

“So that’s a key driver.”

Greene, who has found himself on the wrong side of the tribunal and AFL officials in the past, including an infamous six-week suspension for pushing umpire Matt Stevic in 2021, conceded he’d “made a few mistakes” across his colourful journey.

“I’ve probably put myself in those positions a lot and I’ve made a few mistakes, so you’ve got to cop it when you do and I’m always 30 seconds away from another mistake,” he said.

But that image belies the overwhelming respect he has at the Giants and a respect that is growing from the AFL community.

“It’s probably something family enjoy a bit more, you know, hearing good stuff than bad stuff to be honest,” he said.

“It certainly weighs them down a lot more than what it does with me, so that’s probably the big thing.”

Toby Greene is not finished yet. Picture: Phil Hillyard

With that image changing, Greene, adamant what GWS has already achieved, including reaching the 2019 grand final, is “special”, but he’s not done.

“Obviously, we don’t have a premiership and that’s what a lot of people will judge it on. But you know, we’ve been a really successful side,” he said.

“We had a crack every year and we’re able to win finals. The only thing you compare it to is Gold Coast (that’s) really been a start-up club, so you’d say we’re a lot more successful in terms of that.

“It’s something I’m proud to be part of, but we’ve got a lot of work to do to get back there.”