Eagles to turn up heat on Greene
WEST Coast coach Adam Simpson will encourage his players to get under GWS forward Toby Greene’s skin in tomorrow’s crunch AFL clash at Spotless Stadium.
Greene has a history of on-field misdemeanours and it will play into the Eagles’ hands if he lashes out.
The 23-year-old was the difference when the teams met in Round 10, booting two goals in the final term to lift GWS to an eight-point win in Perth.
Simpson said ruffling Greene’s feathers would be a likely tactic for his team.
“I think we’ll try everything to try to get him off his game. That might be part of it,” he said. “He’s a very dangerous player.
“He’s a playmaker, but they’ve probably got seven match winners, and their ability to turn it on in short spurts is also pretty good as well. So it’s going to have to be a four-quarter effort.”
Greene is free to play after escaping with a fine for his boot to the face of Bulldogs midfielder Luke Dahlhaus.
The incident divided opinions in football circles and Simpson said: “I thought he could have got a week for that karate kick.”
West Coast’s finals hopes hang in the balance ahead of daunting clashes with GWS and Adelaide.
Depending on other results, a loss to GWS could spell the end of West Coast’s top-eight ambitions.
West Coast’s midfield has struggled for most of the year, and Simpson conceded his team needs to pull out something special in that area against the starstudded Giants.
When the teams last met, GWS obliterated West Coast 54-31 in the clearances, and 56-43 in the inside-50m count.