GWS star Toby Greene’s fate over his contact with AFL umpire Matt Stevic has split AFL experts, as the Giants face the prospect of playing a semi-final against Geelong without their match-winner.
Greene, the competition’s most fined player, brushed off the incident after the match, but faces a tense wait to see if match review officer Michael Christian refers the matter to the AFL Tribunal. The incident took some gloss off the Giants’ extraordinary one-point win over Sydney Swans on Saturday afternoon.
Stevic wasn’t knocked off course but looked far from pleased as Greene came in close to protest a decision at three-quarter time.
The League generally takes a dim view of players making any form of contact with a whistleblower, with a spate of incidents in 2018 resulting in a tightening of rules.
Greene was assessed for touching umpire Jacob Mollison earlier in the season, but that was deemed to “not constitute a reportable offence”.
“I don’t know what it was. It was just in the moment and certainly would never touch him,” Greene told Seven regarding his confrontation with Stevic.
“I was just talking to him about something in the game.”
“Clearly it’s a talking point but all I know is it wouldn’t have been intentional,” Greene’s coach Leon Cameron said.
Jesse Hogan also offered a character defence of Greene.
“It’ll obviously be on every footy show under the sun for the next five days. I haven’t actually seen it,” Hogan said.
“I’m sure, knowing Toby, there’s nothing in it. It’s not really the type of person he is.”
Hogan was right – the footy shows have fired up over the incident, with varying and extreme points of view from players and pundits.
Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury wrote on Twitter that there was an “incoming Toby tax”. He claimed Greene’s contact with Stevic wasn’t as aggressive as Lion Lachie Neale’s run-in with an umpire in April, which saw him slapped with a a $1500 fine.
Former Magpie Dane Swan was equally strong in his belief that Greene should escape punishment.
But speaking on Fox Footy’s First Crack, Bulldogs legend Brad Johnson said Greene should be out for “probably three or four weeks as a minimum”.
“Don’t touch the umpires. Full stop!” Johnson said.
“Seriously, I’ve known for 45 years, you do not touch the umpires. Regardless of how frustrated you are, how angry you are, a decision doesn’t go your way, whatever it is you don’t touch them. End of story.
“He could’ve had a verbal and copped a fine, and no one worries about it. You don’t abuse the umpire, he did it anyway, we move on. But he touched the umpire; you just don’t go there.”
Nick Dal Santo agreed that a long punishment was appropriate.
“This is what I really get annoyed about; this is not about setting an example and a precedent for the lower levels,” Dal Santo told First Crack.
“You know you can’t do it. Those people that touch the umpire are doing it anyway, whether Toby Greene gets 10 (weeks) or gets a fine.
“We already know the rules, you’ve learned it since you’re five years old, you do not do that to an umpire.”
Fox Footy’s Nick Riewoldt said the umpires perspective on the incident could be the deciding factor in Greene’s fate.
“Is it a shoulder bump? Is it a hand brush? It’s hard to hang him on that piece of vision, (but) I know it looks bad,” Riewoldt said.
“I think they’ll need another angle, and I think Matt Stevic will play a massive role in this.
“If you actually follow it through and see the context of the conversation and how it unfolds; they’re having a pretty amicable chat. Matt Stevic doesn’t look to be too disturbed afterwards.”
Commentator David King said Greene was in “a lot of trouble”.
“I don’t think there is any way of talking around this. The umpires are a no-go zone and when you decide to walk into their path … I think he made a calculated decision, he’s made a big error,” King said.
“Unfortunately, I think he’ll miss several weeks – that’s just how it sits for me. I’m not sure how you argue your way around that one.
“He knows he’s there, he walks into him, you just can’t do that. We all love him and we all want him to play, but whenever these things happen, more often than not, it’s got Toby involved.
“I feel for the Giants. Coming down from the euphoria of this win will be the reality that Toby’s made a blue.”
Richmond forward Jack Riewoldt added: “He’s really got no one else to blame bar himself.
“He’s an emotional player and we love that about him, because it actually makes him the star he is, and why he stars in games, but this is going to be scrutinised within an inch of its life and it doesn’t look great early on.
“It’s something that’s ingrained in children, in not only the AFL, but all sports across the world, that umpires are sacrosanct.”
pablocruz
Roar Rookie
Yeah, fair enough. Not so much comparing the incidents but rather, as it now turns out, the outcome. Since when is it okay to manhandle an umpire to get his attention? Surely that is an aggressive act, at least. My problem is that the AFL 'line' is all too often blurred, unclear or shifts.
American Swan
Roar Rookie
For all of you on this board who want to excuse Toby Greene's behavior, how do you respond if you are Matt Stevic's position. If you are standing on the sidewalk and someone is walking toward you and definitely sees you and they give you a shoulder as they are walking past, what is your reaction? Do you bend over backward to excuse it (say it was an accident, he barely touched me, etc.) or would you interpret the action as disrespectful and an attempt to intimidate? My guess is everyone of you would assume the latter.
American Swan
Roar Rookie
I disagree with your comparison to the Lachie Neale incident. Neale was basically just trying to get the umpires attention. I didn't think he was trying to be aggressive towards the umpire. Greene's action was intended to be intimidating and disrespectful.
Curmudgeon1961
Roar Rookie
I comes after H No. 9
dab
Roar Rookie
Riot it is. I'm into boycotting AFL product and complaining to advertisers.
Ace
Roar Rookie
This incident brings back to mind an incident in a Hobart local footy game where during a quarter break a player was walking along side of an umpire and as they finished chatting and parting the tall player gave the shorter umpire a pat on the head...6 weeks That was a very long time ago.. late 60's I think But probably a lot more precedents out there to illustrate the point of not touching an umpire
christy olsen
Roar Rookie
Wow, I've never heard the argument that the ref was "challenging" a player. You sound like my 8-yr-old son. As far as he can see, he's never done anything wrong in his life.
.kraM
Roar Rookie
:laughing:
.kraM
Roar Rookie
Epic troll
Aransan
Roar Rookie
Another zero wouldn’t cover this misdemeanour. Go on precedent but a game suspension in the finals would be the equivalent of two or more in the home and away season. Greene actually deviated from his path to touch the umpire.
sven
Roar Rookie
geez going by that logic u could take out an oppo player during the breaks & suffer no sanction cause hey, theyre not actually playing at that given moment, u could even do it before the game starts (during the warm up perhaps) …. talk about a stretch …
RT
Roar Rookie
Well I know what he was saying, so I didn't think it was confusing.
nics
Roar Rookie
What is this “common law precedent” you speak of? Can you point to any relevant authorities counsel?
nics
Roar Rookie
Ahh yes - why don't you send those submissions to the GWS silk arguing Toby's case in front of the tribunal then. Surely if GWS are desperate for Toby to play against the Cats they will run these eminently well thought out arguments and leave no stone unturned. Got to be better than asking Siri the definition of "severe". Or maybe you have sent these submissions to the GWS - have you received any response? We wait with bated breath.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
I bet I could easily convince you that it was confusing. In fact, I’ll even leave this site should I not persuade you. You seem like a reasonable guy, Richie, so I’ll take my chances that you’ll be fair. What do you say about that proposal?
No9
Roar Rookie
I have said this before but again I ask the question : was the umpire an umpire at the time of the alleged offence ? A- The umpire's duties are to officiate at the match .Nothing more , nothing less . That is in the rules . B-The rules define a Match as being 80 minutes of play with four equal quarters of 20 minutes . C-The periods between play are regulated into specific intervals of minutes . D-The umpire has no duties during these intervals . E-The rules are silent on his status during these intervals . He is a man without a role and without umpiring duties F- The umpire is not an umpire during these intervals.Read the rules .His duties are done. G-If the Umpire has no official status during these breaks in the Match . He is no longer an umpire with authority . The Match is not going on . His legal status is confined to the Match H-If the umpire is not an umpire during this period the charge is without merit . G-Greene has no case to answer .
Mooty
Roar Rookie
It’s Greene being his usual self, runs by his own rules. Umpires are untouchable, this wasn’t accidental, therefore I’d expect at least 3 weeks suspension minimum. But the AFL would like to see the Giants maintain the best chance possible of winning, to keep a Sydney audience watching now the Swans are out. If he got a $3000 fine, that wouldn’t surprise me either, it would make me suspicious of of tribunal interference.
Andrew Mackinnon
Guest
If it was Buddy, The Bont or Dangerfield they wouldn't have touched the umpire. That's the difference between them and Greene.......
RT
Roar Rookie
Nor was it confusing.
How is it that other Giants players were able to step around the umpire but Greene couldn't?? The more I look at it, the worse it gets.