Hawthorn great Shane Crawford is tipping the AFL tribunal to come down hard on GWS superstar Toby Greene for his bump on umpire Matt Stevic during last weekend’s win over the Swans in Launceston.
The two-time All-Australian was locked in a tense conversation with Stevic at three-quarter time before making contact with the umpire as he walked over to the Giants’ huddle
The incident was assessed by match review officer Michael Christian and sent directly to the tribunal.
The AFL has always maintained a hard stance on player contact with umpires, which has consistently resulted in sanctions in recent times.
Crawford said he expects Greene to cop a “couple of weeks” on the sideline at the very least, rather than just a fine.
“I think he’s in big trouble,” Crawford told Nine’s Today.
“Even accidental contact with an umpire, players have been fined and suspended over the last few years.
“I think he’s in big trouble, he will be suspended for a couple of weeks at least.
“We would love the AFL to jump in and say, ‘listen we will just give you a fine and a little whack over the knuckles’ because the Giants would love him to play. He’s such a wonderful player.
“But it’s not a good look. We have to protect our umpires and look after them, they do a wonderful job.”
Reigning Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale earlier this season was slapped with only a $1500 fine for making contact with umpire Matthew Nicholls.
Neale at the time came under scrutiny for making contact when he was pleading his case to the umpire after coming off second best in a tackle.
The Giants famously beat the Cats by 19 points earlier this month down at GMHBA Stadium, but Crawford expects the forward’s omission to stop his side from gaining another win over Geelong ahead of Friday’s semi-final.
“I would say highly unlikely [they win without Greene],” Crawford said.
“But they showed great spirit against their arch-rivals the Swans on the weekend, so you just never know.”