GWS coach Leon Cameron has revealed that Toby Greene made an emotional apology to the player group in the lead-up to Friday night’s semi-final loss to Geelong.
Greene was a notable out for the 35-point loss to Geelong after copping a three-match ban for intentionally bumping an umpire during the club’s thrilling one-point elimination final win over Sydney.
The AFL have appealed the suspension, believing it should have been more.
GWS entered the match against Geelong ravaged by injuries, and the loss of Greene hurt so much more given it was avoidable.
After the loss, Cameron said that a “remorseful” Greene had apologised to his teammates leading into the game.
(Photo by Adam Trafford/AFL Media/Getty Images)
“It was an emotional ten to 15 minutes in front of our entire group,” Cameron said.
“We’re not a club that will shy away from things. We have to work out the rights and the wrongs and we got it wrong last weekend and he’s put his hand up.
“Throughout the week, I said you don’t give up on these players. They are like your children.
“Sometimes your kids do some things wrong in life. They have to learn from it and move on.
“He has been a wonderful player for us and I am confident we’ll work through some of those challenges over the off-season.”
The loss of Greene was further compounded when spearhead Jesse Hogan was a late withdrawal with a calf injury.
Hogan had taken six contested marks and booted 2.2 against Sydney a week earlier, and his loss was heavily felt as the Giants took just five marks inside 50 metres against Geelong.
Soft tissue injuries limited Hogan to just nine games for the year, and Cameron wants to find a way to ensure the former Docker stays on the park for longer in 2022.
“He was sore a day after the game last week,” Cameron said.
Leon Cameron (Adam Trafford/AFL Media/Getty Images)
“We gave him every opportunity right until a couple of hours out, and then we made that decision (to pull him out).
“He recovered from the injury well on one occasion during the year, but he missed four or five weeks on another occasion. So that would have been interesting (to see if he could have played next week).
“We’re trying to work out his training management, his load, what he can and can’t do.”
Cameron was proud of his team’s ability to overcome an 0-3 start to the season and 73 days on the road to make it to the second week of the finals.
He is confident that Jacob Hopper will re-sign with the club in the coming days or weeks.
“He just wanted to get the season done and dusted,” Cameron said.
“He has settled in Sydney, owns his house. All indicators are he’ll be at our footy club.”
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
What he said.
Mick Gold Coast QLD
Roar Guru
This “child” – a 27 year old child – was first in trouble in 2014, 7 years ago. Violent assault with a weapon causing serious injury. The magistrate heard pleas that surely he had been punished enough already, with a $5,000 fine by his team, so he took pity on the child-adult and fined him about ten quid and did not record a conviction. Not long after his salary was increased to near $1,000,000 per year. And not long after that he paid $1,840,000 for a house in Sydney. He did not appear to have suffered much from that massive GWS fine … loose change. Since departing pre-school he has had 22 AFL Tribunal charges / Review Panel citations and a half dozen suspensions. To help him understand what was happening, because he is a challenged learner, I imagine they told him they were like “after school detentions”. What did his coach come up with just now? “Sometimes your kids do some things wrong in life. They have to learn from it and move on. He has been a wonderful player for us and …” Fair dinkum! He forgot to embellish his forgiveness speech with “unfortunate poor life choices”. Greene sobbed before his team mates and one assumes they all dutifully filed past to give him a little pat on the botty whilst murmuring “it’s not your fault bro”. The bloke who is supposed to be running the AFL circus has pursed his lips and scowled about the latest feeble suspension but it seems he has to seek permission from his Personnel Department to complain to his Disciplinary Department, in a respectful and inclusive manner, about their timidity. That is, he doesn’t really run the show. A real CEO would have bellowed at them to be in his office at 7 am Sunday to tell him why they should be allowed to keep their jobs. This palooka deliberately physically monstered an umpire and he gets to saunter off whistling nonchalantly!
Does it have to be. Do Collingwood players have to live in Collingwood?
Chris Lewis
Roar Guru
Of course he is.
BLACKTOWN
Roar Rookie
I bet it's not in Western Sydney
RT
Roar Rookie
If your parents keep failing you, you might be better off without them.
Gyfox
Roar Rookie
I would think that Greene apologising to the group before the game would only make them feel they could not win.