Toby must wait
Finals to end before AFL case is heard
THE AFL has agreed to hold over its appeal against Toby Greene’s three-match ban until October to help Greater Western Sydney concentrate on its finals series.
The league announced on Wednesday it would push for a greater penalty against Greene for his bump on umpire Matt Stevic because it claimed the sanction was “manifestly inadequate”.
As part of the decision to delay the hearing, the Giants agreed not to appeal the suspension already imposed on its vice-captain, ruling him out for the finals series.
Greene was found guilty at the end of a four-hour tribunal hearing on Tuesday for walking into Stevic at threequarter time of Saturday’s elimination final against Sydney in Launceston.
AFL general manager football operations Andrew Dillon said on Wednesday the respect and safety of umpires must be protected.
The league’s legal counsel, Jeff Gleeson, had called for a suspension of no fewer than six matches after the tribunal members found the GWS star’s conduct to be intentional, aggressive, disrespectful, and demonstrative.
After a three-week ban was handed down AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said he found the outcome “perplexing” and “hard to reconcile”. Giants captain Stephen Coniglio said the playing group had accepted the outcome.
“We have a game in 48 hours to put all our energy into,” Coniglio said on Wednesday.
“In terms of chatting about future stuff, we can do that after the game or next week or whenever.
“We accept the punishment he’s been given. Toby himself has shown remorse for his actions and to the umpire.
“We simply can’t do that in our game.
“I’m thinking of him, and when the time is right, if he needs anything, my phone is always on, and if he wants to come and have a chat he can.”
Geelong star Patrick Dangerfield said all players need to “be better” in their respect for and treatment of umpires.
Dangerfield, who is also AFL Players’ Association president, said players could “definitely improve” when it came to on-field treatment of the game’s officials.
He said it could be argued the three-match penalty – given Greene will miss finals – was “quite significant”.
“We have to be mindful, and I’ll keep coming back to this, that we have a role to play in the community,” Dangerfield told SEN.
“It’s difficult sometimes under the heat.”