TOBY OFF THE HOOK

$1500 fine but no suspension for a boot into Bulldog’s face

TOBY Greene will pay a $1500 fine for the boot to the face of Bulldog Luke Dahlhaus, escaping a third suspension for the year.

The controversial Greater Western Sydney star was yesterday slapped with the fine after the match review panel rejected the initial umpire report for rough conduct, which could have carried a two or three-week ban.

Instead the panel found the All-Australian guilty of the lesser offence of “misconduct”.

Premiership coach Paul Roos had called for a strong statement against the action and welcomed the financial penalty.

Roos said it was paramount for the panel to make it clear that such acts had no place in the game, expressing concern at the message for juniors.

“I was surprised at the debate around it — the only debate should have been around what the penalty was going to be,” Roos said.

“It didn’t need Toby Greene to be rubbed out — I think that what we needed was the AFL and the MRP to make a statement to say ‘that’s unacceptable’.

“I was surprised at people that said, ‘He’s just protecting himself.’ If that’s the case, then why wouldn’t we teach kids to do exactly what he did?

“I’m glad that we’ve clarified that it’s outside the rules, and I’m also glad for Toby that he’s playing, because I don’t think he intentionally kicked him in the head.

“They’ve clarified it that it’s outside the laws of the game and that it’s unacceptable and that’s an important statement for AFL players but more importantly everyone — every coach, every player and every person — that is involved in the game.”

Dogs forward Jack Redpath was the only player to be offered a suspension — a twomatch ban for striking Phil Davis. Davis doubled over in pain after Redpath’s openhanded shove to his throat in the first quarter on Friday.

The act was assessed as intentional with low impact to the head, his bad record increasing the penalty to a threegame ban if he unsuccessfully challenged the charge.

Port Adelaide star Ollie Wines faced a nervous wait after his high hit on Collingwood’s Tom Langdon, but he is free to play on Saturday after being slapped with a fine.

North Melbourne’s Brayden Preuss, Gold Coast’s Jack Martin and Essendon’s Ben Howlett can also accept fines.