AFL 2023: Tom Green thankful to be back in action for GWS Giants after injury

Tom Green said he feels like he was ‘hit by a truck’ after his first game in a month – but he is much happier hunting the footy on the field than watching from the sidelines.

Tom Green is tackled by Errol Gulden. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

Tom Green’s three weeks on the sidelines were agonising.

Not because of the pain of his hamstring injury, but purely because he wasn’t on the field contributing for the Giants.

His teammates picked up the slack in his absence, winning all three games. But that didn‘t stop him from showing his passion for the club at home while watching their come-from-behind victory over the Bulldogs.

“I got a noise complaint,” Green said.

“I was pretty loud when the boys kicked the winner in the end.

“I’m not a great watcher (of games). It’s good that I can’t watch some of the games out here because probably it would be not for TV.”

Thankfully for the Giants, Green has returned to full health for their late-season finals charge.

The 22-year-old was their best player in the tight loss to the Swans on Saturday night, finishing the match with an equal career-high 38 disposals, 20 contested possessions and eight score involvements.

While the result didn’t go the Giants’ way, it was a relief for Green to be back.

“It made me feel less guilty that they were doing well without me,” he said.

“When you see the team in great form like that, playing well, you get a little bit jealous, you want to be out there.

“There are always a little bit of extra nerves coming back from an injury like that, so it was nice to be able to get through unscathed.”

Tom Green (right) was up for the fight against the Swans. Picture: Matt King/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

The Swans were clinical with their scoring opportunities against the Giants, something that hasn’t been the case for Sydney for much of the season.

They went into halftime having kicked 11 goals straight, adding one more major before registering their first behind.

While Green could see the quality of some of their shots, he said the team also reflected on the easy chances they provided.

“There were some good ones,” Green said. “Errol (Gulden) threaded that great one from the boundary, which is an unbelievable kick.

“But they also kicked some goals from the goalsquare with quality looks. Ones like that, you look on yourselves and go, ‘That’s not great defence, we need to be better’.”

Seven wins in a row for GWS have put them in prime position for a finals spot and they remain in the top eight following the loss to Sydney.

However, they have a tough run with away matches against Port Adelaide and Carlton book-ending a visit from Essendon at home.

Adam Kingsley went beyond using the typical cliches, but did concede there were a lot of lessons that could be taken out of the defeat that will help them for the run home.

Tom Green returned with a career-best game in the Sydney Derby. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“It’s great to get (Tom) back … he’s going to be important for us moving forward,” Kingsley said.

“I reckon the Derby is a finals-type game, so for our guys to experience that and realise, ‘Hey, we’ve got work to do’ is a great lesson.”

Green is one of those players who will benefit, having only played one final in his career.

He agrees with his coach that there are positives to take out of the loss to the Swans, and he knows his body will be better for the run.

“The hammy is all right, but I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck,” he said. “After three weeks, the body forgets what it’s like.

“We did do a lot right, we had a lot of inside-50s, and we won a lot of the key stats so that’s really positive.

“But it’s understanding what we didn’t do well, and that’s when we’re attacking, setting up behind that. (We have to) make sure we adjust next week against Port Adelaide.”

Originally published as AFL 2023: Tom Green thankful to be back in action for GWS Giants after injury