AFL 2024: Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield says it is difficult for players to deal with split second decisions after Toby Greene ban

AFLPA president Patrick Dangerfield has responded to Toby Greene’s suspension and reflected on the expectations placed on players in split second moments.

AFLPA president Patrick Dangerfield said that it is difficult for AFL players to navigate split second moments in matches, declaring it is a “bloody hard game to play”.

It comes after Greater Western Sydney star Toby Greene’s received a one-week suspension for collecting Carlton defender Jordan Boyd in a marking contest, with his tribunal bid failing on Tuesday night.

The Geelong captain said the AFL’s duty of care for head-high incidents had been drilled into players over the pre-season but admitted it is tough for players to change what he describes as an “innate response”.

Toby Greene was hit with a one-week suspension. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“I think the duty of care piece is obviously something continually spoken about. But I suppose from my perspective, from a playing perspective, it’s a bloody hard game to play in split second moments in games where you’re trying to make the best decision you possibly can, and sometimes it’s reactionary movements, and they can look worse in slow motion,” Dangerfield said.

“But I get fundamentally what the competition is trying to do, it’s just harder in practice at times.

“It’s the hardest part to almost keep your arms extended versus I think, your reaction, if you go to throw a ball at someone, they turn and brace. You do that in a marking contest. So it’s a hard thing to almost remove out of the system as a player when I think it is just an innate response.

“That seems to be getting clearer in terms what you can and can’t do, albeit with some interesting decisions over the last few weeks.

“It’s been quite topical over the last few weeks and if there’s another incident over the weekend, I suspect that continues until a new issue arises in the competition that inevitably does happen.”

Dangerfield said fellow midfielder Cam Guthrie has been “ready to go” for the past month as he prepares for a return this weekend from a serious quad injury he suffered in their first pre-season game against Carlton in February.

Guthrie hasn’t featured in a home-and-away AFL game level since round six last year after his 2023 campaign was cruelled by a troublesome toe injury

Despite his strong work on the track, Dangerfield was unsure whether Guthrie would face the Blues’ senior side again in the seniors or in the VFL.

“He looked pretty good today, he’ll be right around the mark,” Dangerfield said.

“From afar I don’t think you’d look it as, ‘he hasn’t played footy in over a year’. He’s been playing and training at a higher intensity than what many games are for the best part of a month, so he is ready to go. So that part is in the coaches’ hands now.”

The Cats skipper said his side will use a system based approach to fill the void of irreplaceable defender Tom Stewart, who will miss the blockbuster against the Blues with concussion.

Originally published as AFL 2024: Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield says it is difficult for players to deal with split second decisions after Toby Greene ban