The GWS Giants will be without one of their most talismanic players for their preliminary final against the Collingwood Magpies on Saturday night, after the AFL Tribunal decided to uphold a one-match ban for Toby Greene.
Greene was charged two days ago with having made ‘unreasonable or unnecessary contact to the eye region’ on Lachie Neale during the Giants’ semi-final victory over the Brisbane Lions.
The incident was assessed as being intentional high contact with a low-impact, and Greene was offered a one-match ban for the offence.
This came after a similar incident in the Giants’ previous match, where Greene was sent to the tribunal for ‘serious misconduct’ on Marcus Bontempelli.
Greene’s punishment for that incident amounted to a sizable financial penalty, but the AFL’s counsel did not request the Tribunal to suspend him.
Greene plead not guilty to the charge of making contact to Neale’s eye, and his defence also put forward that if contact had been made, it should be considered careless, rather than intentional.
Lachie Neale was called for evidence, despite the AFL’s representative Nick Pane attempting to block this. Neale said that he did feel contact to his nose, but not his eye.
When called to give evidence, Greene said he had jumped on Neale in the hopes the umpire would pay a holding the ball free kick.
Greene said that he saw the ball ‘bobble’ and moved his hand towards the ball, but couldn’t reach it, and so drew his hand back.
Greene said the ball was locked directly underneath Neale’s face, but that he did not recall making contact with Neale’s face, and did not rake his face or his eye region.
“I’m trying to grab the ball and I see it bobbling, but then it goes under Lachie Neale’s face,” said Greene.
When suggested to him that his arm could not be seen to extend for the football, Greene said “I think it does… and I think I actually hit Josh Kelly’s face on the way down.”
Pane argued that it was possible to see a rake up over Neale’s eyes, and an immediate reaction from Neale when this occurred.
“Any contact to the eye region, no matter how slight, is inherently dangerous… it is unreasonable and unnecessary,” said Pane.
Pane further said that Lachie Neale’s evidence was “vague”, and little weight should be given to it by the members of the tribunal.
Greene’s representative Adrian Anderson said there was insufficient evidence to suggest contact to the eyes, and that if contact had been made, it was careless, not intentional.
“Even if you were satisfied that there was a little bit of contact, it would have been negligible,” says Anderson.
The Tribunal returned a guilty verdict after 16 minutes of deliberation.
The Giants will have the option of appealing the decision, should they wish to do so.
JamesH
Roar Guru
Oh come on. He has a clear pattern of dirty behaviour right through his career. You don't get reported 18 times before you turn 26 if you're a fair player. As for last week, he only got off because the evidence was less conclusive. That's two weeks in a row of deliberately grabbing at someone's face for no reason other than to be an antagonist. Last year it was sticking studs in people's faces. Now the rules clearly prevent that, it's fingers. The Leopard has changed his tactics but not his spots. Greene is a bona fide star. He's also an out-and-out grub.
Pumping Dougie
Roar Guru
Evidence was't genuinely considered - it was a contrived outcome. Bont's medical report said he had bruising around the eye and scratches on the neck. But the tribunal chose to only rely on the part which said Bont required no treatment. The front-on camera showed Greene sitting on a face-down defenceless Bont, holding the back of his hair by the scalp and slamming his head up and down into the turf. If they had integrity they would have given him a minimum 2 weeks, more given his record - but they manufactured an outcome designed to keep him playing. This week they were made to look foolish. Again.
Parkside Darren
Roar Rookie
Where is the pattern he has no prior for making contact with someone’s eyes. They didn’t apply that charge the week before due to lack of evidence.
Parkside Darren
Roar Rookie
That impacts the sentence not the guilt
Parkside Darren
Roar Rookie
He wasn’t fined for the same thing They didn’t charge him with eye gouging due to lack of evidence. Note I think he should have got a week for grabbing Bontempelli’s and banging his head in the turf but that is a separate issue.
Tezza knows
Roar Rookie
Any player who hits a hurt player, a hurt player that WE ALL knew was a hurt player (this is a critical point) (Brisbane's Cameron) is guilty of inhuman behaviour ...inhuman behaviour is akin to animal behaviour. That is, it is abhorrent and deserves a big sentence!! I hardly ever agree with Caroline Wilson's opinions, but this one she got very right. Caroline and I are at one. I am staggered that there are so so many current and and ex players who think hurting an already injured player is acceptable.. what are they .. macho men? No they are stupid fools who hold on to an sick ego with a sick opinion that is disturbing.. they actually condone hitting someone who is down... that's reprehensible.. even more disturbing is that these fools think they are right.
Tezza knows
Roar Rookie
Yes and guilt was and .. guilt repeated too. So as in normal law, you're gunna cop more. GWS in taking this case to the appeals board are a stupid laughing stock. Cameron, the coach now lacks total credibility.
Tezza knows
Roar Rookie
ok say, first, I am on tribunal and I am not an ex afl player, but I am a ex Port Melbourne player, who happens to Barrack for the Pies.. I might have Pies bias, I might not too because I have integrity. Your looking for any excuse. Second, if Wakelin a d co are biased towards the Pies, they as Tribinal members threw out Greene's case in the first hearing. Your assertions lack credibility
Birdman
Roar Rookie
Hilarious PD.
Raimond
Roar Guru
If you watch the official highlights package on YouTube, you’ll see that Cotchin takes his eyes off the ball.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
He has no appeal
Nick
Roar Guru
I reckon he won't.
Nick
Roar Guru
Mate, The tribunal is smart enough to discount the evidence of players... they will never grass on another player. No one thinks Neales character is in question. He just did what they all do. Players should never be called in to give evidence - it's the most corrupt activity of the evening.
Pumping Dougie
Roar Guru
Well he said he was sorry for hurting Bont - ahem. Then he said he was just trying to contain the bobbling ball, when he ran his fingers across Neale's face - ahem. Then he says he thought he made contact with Josh Kelly's face, not Neale's - ahem. Did you ask if he had integrity?
Pumping Dougie
Roar Guru
Campbell Brown is the biggest thug in the past 20 years in my opinion and a helluva hypocrite. Whacking a bloke who is already groggy and in the arms of the trainers (McPhee) is about as low as it gets. And he has a long list of other unsuspecting victims that he's whacked off the ball (Callum Ward springs to mind). So I think Lloyd would be bemused by Brown's opinions on 'sniping' like the rest of us.
Keith Adamson
Guest
As he should have been rubbed out for his appalling actions in the Bulldogs game, it is ironic that he finally gets suspended because he was playing in the match he should have missed. His actions in both games were cowardly (not tough) and totally unacceptable in today's game. Gouging a man's face and pulling his hair when he lying defenceless on the ground? Just plain cowardly thuggery!
barra
Roar Rookie
Contrasting the way this grub handles himself at the tribunal vs Hawkins is pretty telling. Both are guilty but one took the adverse result on the chin and said he got a fair hearing while the other lies his way through the hearing with simply incredulous assertions of reaching for the ball etc and then appeals. Hope they double it on appeal and the giants play cats in the big one with toby on the sidelines while Tom kicks a bag. That would be sweet to see!
Tezza knows
Roar Rookie
There is case law that clearly demonstrates that the Court won’t interfere with Football code processes like this. GWSs obsession to even proceed with this to the appeals board just shows how it lacks total integrity because this latest Tribunal decision has added more weight to the open and shut case of repeat offender guilt. We know justice has been done, the public know justice has been done, so what sort of reception would this guilty player receive if somehow he was allowed to play. OMG. This is the worst case we have ever seen of the AFLs complete lack of judgement, complete incompetence, a case that has a nasty smell about it, and that is implied evidence of interference in Tribunal hearings; that’s what we call a capital offence, meaning the CEO and the Tribunal must go. The shocking decision to summarily throw a ‘serious misconduct’ by its own match committee, is unprecedented when you look at the continuous, aggravated act that we all saw. The Appeals Board does not want to make any more mess here, public accountability is at stake here, public confidence is at stake. It has gone beyond the player now, he’s guilty as charged, the Appeals Borard categorically must uphold the integrity of the game now, so of course, it’s decision now is a simple one. The AFL which recently moved to fining players, rather than dishing out suspensions, has become its own enemy. When Ablett was let off a blatant elbow ( the first offence of two) to the head and neck of a player some weeks ago, the Tribunal lost its way. It seems clear that there is not one strong individual on the Tribunal to lead that group with firmness, a clear head and judgement. Look whats happened since the very poor Ablett decision.
terry appel
Guest
this bloke is a grub should have got 4 to 5 weeks we don't want him in our comp
Brimon Sown
Roar Rookie
Surely gets off on appeal?