Toby Greene’s mum reveals family tragedy that left the star shattered

GWS Giants star Toby Greene will play Saturday’s AFL Grand Final with a heavy heart and will dedicate the game to one person.

Toby Greene and his GWS teammates are preparing for the biggest game of their lives on Saturday when they take on Richmond in the 2019 AFL Grand Final.

Greene will rejoin the playing group after missing a thrilling preliminary final win against Collingwood thanks to a one-week suspension.

The fiery Giant has been thrust into the spotlight throughout the finals series for several indiscretions, but on Wednesday it was revealed the star has been dealing with family tragedy.

Greene’s mother, Kate, opened up on the incident that saw Toby’s cousin, Finley, take his own life in June, leaving the family and Greene shattered.

“(It) was, as you can imagine, devastating for our family,” Kate Greene told 3AW’s Nick McCallum.

“I had to ring up Toby in Sydney and tell him what happened and he just drove straight to the airport in his shorts and thongs and jumped on the first plane to come home. Since that, we’re just picking up the pieces.

“My three boys and my sister’s two boys have grown up together, they’re a very close family and now one of them isn’t going to be there on Saturday.”

Greene posted a moving tribute to his cousin on his Instagram page, stating “your vibrance and kindness will be sorely missed in our family”.

The Giants will square off in their first ever AFL Grand Final after knocking off Collingwood in one of the best preliminary finals of all time.

Greene along with Lachie Whitfield will return to bolster the Giants’ line-up ahead of the huge showdown against the favourites in Richmond.

Going into the contest as the underdogs won’t deter the Giants, with Greene dedicating the match to his late cousin.

“If they get the win Toby would like to dedicate his game to Finley,” Kate said.

“To my sister and to her other son, and her husband John, it will mean the world.

“I hope for Finley’s sake the Giants get the win.”

Toby Greene's mother, Kate, bravely opened up on 3AW today about the devastating tragedy that has rocked her family this year. pic.twitter.com/LzCSwA8eKZ

— 3AW Football (@3AWisfootball) September 25, 2019

Greene’s AFL journey began as a teenager in the Giants’ foundation list, where he said life was a lot tougher for him and his teammates than it is now.

Greene and key forward Jeremy Cameron were neighbours at the club’s Breakfast Point home in those early years when it was opposition players dishing out scoreboard punishment on the expansion team.

And while plenty outside the club may not like Greene’s style, Cameron says it’s part of a winning mentality which has set a path to the club’s maiden grand final appearance.

“He’s always making headlines and that sort of thing but he’s never changed the way he’s played,” Cameron said.

“He’s always played with that attitude and to be honest he just wants to win and he wants to win each and every week.

“He’s always had that, even when we were getting beat early days.”

Greene is dedicating the Grand Final to his cousin, Finley.

Greene’s return creates one of several selection calls Giants’ coach Leon Cameron faces before the clash with the Tigers with Whitfield also set to return from having his appendix removed.

One star took himself out of contention on Wednesday when Stephen Coniglio made the decision on his own after failing to come up from a knee injury he picked up in round 17.

GWS will put it all on the line on Saturday and with Finley squarely in the front of Greene’s mind, he’ll be hoping to be on the podium lifting the trophy in the direction of his lost cousin.

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