Caroline Wilson has urged the Giants to get serious with Toby Greene‘s repeated disciplinary issues, and is of the belief that he cannot be made the club’s next captain.
Greene is facing a suspension of potentially up to six weeks after clashing with field umpire Matt Stevic in the Giants’ one-point elimination final win over the Sydney Swans. He was sent directly to the tribunal by AFL Match Review Officer Michael Christian.
The 27-year-old is set to face the music on Tuesday morning, and given his long line of indiscretions, particularly in finals matches, Wilson urged the All-Australian to “grow up”.
The veteran AFL columnist also took aim at a number of current and former players for their roles in downplaying Greene’s clash with Stevic, including former Hawthorn skipper Luke Hodge.
“In my view, this hearing has to suspend him for at least four weeks, and that’s probably being lenient, six [weeks] is more like it,” Wilson told Nine’s Footy Classified.
“Toby Greene has to make a big statement here and he’s got to grow up obviously. You can’t treat umpires like this, that was a shocking look for the game.
“I honestly think we need to see a statement because of the wishy-washy and pretty ridiculous response we’ve seen from some of the game’s top players.
“It is so much more serious than what Lachie Neale did and I think the AFL has to throw the book at him.
“I love Luke Hodge and I think he’s doing a great job in his media career but I’m sorry, that post-match interview just didn’t cut it for me, neither did the [Scott] Pendlebury comment. These guys just don’t understand how serious it is what Toby Greene actually did.
“I believe this will cost him the captaincy next year if they were seriously looking at replacing Stephen Coniglio. I don’t think you can give him the captaincy after he’s done this.”
Wilson was referencing an incident involving Brisbane star Lachie Neale from earlier in the season, when Neale was fined $1500 for touching an umpire to indicate that he was bleeding.
While Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes agreed that Greene’s frequent tribunal dates threatened to be a “distraction”, he urged the AFL to develop some clarity around contact with umpires.
“I think they’re very forgiving on him … and it’s too much of a distraction,” he told Footy Classified.
“Every month we’re talking about an incident with Toby Greene.
“There comes a point where you’re [27] years of age you’ve played [176] games, you become a distraction to your teammates. Now, he’s that good that he gets away with it, but should he?
“You can’t go a fine for Neale and six weeks for Greene, that is far too [big a discrepancy], you’ve got to rewrite the rule.
“The ruling is ambiguous. If you go and read the ruling of what goes to a tribunal and what doesn’t it is [unclear].”