GWS Giants coach Leon Cameron says a “clearly remorseful” Toby Greene fronted his teammates to apologise for his actions after he was forced to miss another final due to a suspension.
The three-match ban handed down to Greene was a hammer blow to the Giants’ hopes of advancing to a preliminary final after an inspirational elimination final win over Sydney.
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Following the Giants’ 35-point semi-final loss to Geelong, Cameron said the club would not “shy away” from Greene’s repeated disciplinary issues, but insisted he would not give up on the 27-year-old either.
“[Greene] needs to put his hand up and when the dust is settled over the next few months, we’ve got to make sure that he’s out there more times than not because he’s not only great for our footy club, he’s great for the game,” he said.
“He’s got some challenges and we’re not going to hide or shy away from that and we’ll work through them over the pre-season.”
Cameron hit back at suggestions that Greene had solely cost his side the match against the Cats, as he opened up on the star forward’s apology to his teammates.
“We had a number of players out, it’s not just one player that costs the team,” he said.
“He was in front of the group and clearly remorseful throughout the week. It was an emotional ten or 15 minutes in front of our group throughout the week.
“We’re not a club that’s going to shy away from things, we need to work out the rights and the wrongs, and he got it wrong last weekend and puts his hand up.
“As I said throughout the week, you don’t give up on these players because they’re like your children.
“Sometimes your kids do some things wrong in life and they need to learn from it and move on. But he’s been a wonderful player for us and I’m really confident that we’ll work through some of those challenges in the pre-season.”