By Danny Russell
Toby Greene will miss GWS’ crucial clash with the Western Bulldogs after copping a one-match ban for striking star Sydney midfielder Isaac Heeney to the head on Friday night.
The fiery Giants skipper dropped to his knees and thrust his left forearm into his business partner’s head after the star Swan was gang tackled during the first quarter of the Sydney derby at Engie Stadium.
The first quarter incident involving Isaac Heeney and Toby Greene.Credit: Fox Footy
Match review officer Michael Christian ruled the contact was high and intentional, but low impact. The Giants have until Monday to decide whether to contest the charge.
“That’s stepping slightly over the line,” Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend Leigh Matthews told 3AW on Saturday of Greene’s actions.
Heeney did not appear affected by the clash and played out the match.
It was not the only controversial moment involving Greene during the Giants’ come-from-behind 44-point victory.
He called Sydney forward Tom Papley “overweight” during a Fox Footy interview as the GWS skipper walked off the ground at half-time.
The provocative Papley had charged at Greene and chested him front-on after kicking a goal late in the second term, propelling the Swans to a 28-point lead at the long break.
“He’s looking overweight … [let’s] see how he goes in the second half,” Greene said when asked about Papley’s actions.
While Greene was not fined or penalised for the sledge, his one-match ban for striking will be a huge loss for the Giants when they lock horns with the Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night.
Toby Greene and Tom Papley get in each other’s faces.Credit: AFL Photos
The Giants (13-6) are still in contention for a top-four berth, while the Bulldogs (11-8) are fighting to break back into the eight.
Greene has a long rap sheet, having now been charged a record 26 times throughout his career – one more than Carlton’s David Rhys-Jones.
The AFL has a dim view on high contact. Melbourne defender Steven May was the latest player to feel the league judiciary’s wrath, rubbed out for three games for his heavy clash with Carlton’s Francis Evans.
May is appealing the ban, but he would have missed Melbourne’s round 20 match against St Kilda on Sunday anyway, having suffered concussion against Carlton in a marking contest.
Giants coach Adam Kingsley said he did not see the first-quarter incident involving Greene’s hit on Heeney.
But the Giants coach and his Sydney counterpart Dean Cox said Greene had no case to answer for when it came to the “overweight” sledge against Papley.
“It’s a really important game for both clubs,” Kingsley said. “We know the importance of it, and all the players treat it seriously.
“So they are trying to put each other off, within the rules, obviously. But that’s just AFL footy.
“Winners are grinners, and if you’re not, you move on. Five times prior to this we’ve been on the losing end, and we’ve had to move on, and I’m sure they’ll do the same.”
Cox said he did not listen to opposition players during half-time interviews.
“There’s always a bit of cheek between some of our players and their players,” Cox said.
“Some players push the boundaries a little bit – Toby’s probably one of those.”
Kingsley said he would have been disappointed if Greene copped a fine for the comments.
“I mean, he didn’t use any language, did he?” Kingsley asked the media after the match.
Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said planning had already started for their clash with the Giants.
Speaking after their thumping win over an injury ravaged Essendon, Beveridge said his coaching panel, along with chief analyst, Jason Smith, had already compiled a “little template around what they’ve been doing”.
“They obviously had a few pretty key inclusions this week, when you think of [Jesse] Hogan and [Sam] Taylor and [Josh] Kelly coming back in this side, so if they keep it together, they’ll be a pretty strong team.”
Kelly is likely to miss against the Bulldogs after being subbed out of Friday night’s match with a calf issue, while Beveridge expects midfielder Tom Liberatore to play on Thursday despite missing the last quarter against the Bombers with ankle soreness.
Beveridge wouldn’t comment on Greene’s “overweight” sledge.
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