Toby Greene makes contact with umpire - Update: Suspension Increased to 6 weeks on Appeal

What will happen to Toby?

  • Gone - 4 weeks or more

    Votes: 129 24.3%
  • Gone - 1-3 weeks

    Votes: 278 52.5%
  • Fine only

    Votes: 99 18.7%
  • Innocent - play on.

    Votes: 24 4.5%

  • Total voters
    530
  • Poll closed .

Substance

Norm Smith Medallist
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So he gets three weeks, but they are going to re-assess at the end of the season for a longer sentence.

Highly unlikely, but I'd love it if the Giants win the next 2 games and then draw the GF. Toby serves his 3 game penalty then back for the GF replay.

There's no GF replay anymore, it's extra playing time
 

tropicaltiger

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Seriously after 500 replays, we all agreeToby nudges Stevic and moved him around 8mm, a bad look for the game yes. But hows Hogan using the oval as his own personal spittoon, fair dinkum that massive goobie wizzed past the back of Stevics head like a wayward missile and landed at least 8 metres away..... And Gills was banging on about Tobys little bump being a bad look. W:mad:W....who cleans that s**t up off the grass. golfers don't do it, tennis players dont do it, cricketers maybe but Hogan needs a talking too. ;)
3 pm.jpg
 

mattpolo8

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I thought that was for every final except the GF?
Nah.

2016 was changed to 2 x 3min halves, then if its still a draw, golden point
2020 was changed to 2 x 3min halves, and repeating that if its still a draw till it's not a draw
 

OnlyPowerForever

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Toby Greene was lucky to only be given three weeks for his actions and should be prepared to wear a greater penalty following the AFL's reasonable appeal. However, I do think that what we are looking at is the end product of a much broader atmosphere of disrespect towards umpires that the AFL has allowed to fester for many years now, including their leniency regarding previous incidents such as Lachie Neale's and the general tolerance of players talking back to umpires. That's not a reason to give Toby fewer weeks, but rather for the AFL to also reflect more broadly on how it regulates, or fails to regulate, player-umpire interactions. These issues don't begin with Toby Greene, and attention to them shouldn't end with him, and if they do.... well, one can understand why Toby, his family, supporters, etc. would be frustrated at wearing a heavy individual penalty for what is really a systemic problem within the game.
You've explained my thoughts far better than I've been able to.
Well done.
 
I thought Greene should have got off, but his legal defence didn't help.
Firstly, was it even reportable? Stevic made clear he wasn't going to lay a report. Of course nowadays umpires dont bother making reports as they know any given incident will be reviewed by video footage. But this was during the three-quarter time break, Stevic would know it was unlikely to be on video but still did not think there was anything in it at the time otherwise he would have made a report. Greene says that he didn't recall the bump and there was zero reaction by everyone else around. Overall this suggests that the incident is less than the incident appears.
Second is the framing of the incident, no doubt that Greene was mouthing off a bit (but lets be clear, this was not umpire abuse) and talking to the ump, important as that meant Greene was walking directly at the ump. But we only see Greene from the shorts up. Just as he approaches how do we know he didn't step on a small divot which turned his foot up a little on the inside and impeding his manoeuvrability just a little, not enough to make trip, but just enough to prevent his biomechanics from doing that unconscious move of the shoulder to avoid contact. Such a small roll of the foot that you dont see any change on Greene's body. And that led to to such inconsequential contact that it didnt really register with Greene and Stevic didn't really think much of either.
And yet the pitchfork mob must have their way.....
 

Ricketz

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I feel that Gil's reaction putting this incident on the same level as Taylor Walker's racist comment is indicative of what issue he deems most important for AFL juniors.
 
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I thought Greene should have got off, but his legal defence didn't help.
Firstly, was it even reportable? Yes, contact with an umpire, always reportable. Stevic made clear he wasn't going to lay a report. No, he made clear that at the time he wasnt sure that he hadnt contributed to the contact, however after reviewing the video he saw he was standing still and that the action was reportable every time. By this time he knew the MRO was looking at it and he didnt need to report it, as you say next. Of course nowadays umpires dont bother making reports as they know any given incident will be reviewed by video footage. But this was during the three-quarter time break, Stevic would know it was unlikely to be on video but still did not think there was anything in it at the time otherwise he would have made a report - see above. Greene says that he didn't recall the bump (of course, he was pleading not guilty) and there was zero reaction by everyone else around - did you not see Stevics reaction? The massive frown and death stare? Tobys teammates were busy trying to ignore his stupidity and then pretended not to see it. Overall this suggests that the incident is less than the incident appears. Just simply Wrong.
Second is the framing of the incident, no doubt that Greene was mouthing off a bit (but lets be clear, this was not umpire abuse - Razor thought the same language directed at him was unacceptable in our game v Hawthorn) and talking to the ump, important as that meant Greene was walking directly at the ump. Stevic was standing dead still. If all Toby wanted was a chat he would have stopped at a reasonable distance. He didnt, kept walking straight at Stevic, if anything leant into him at the last minute. But we only see Greene from the shorts up. Just as he approaches how do we know he didn't step on a small divot which turned his foot up a little on the inside and impeding his manoeuvrability just a little, not enough to make trip, but just enough to prevent his biomechanics from doing that unconscious move of the shoulder to avoid contact. Such a small roll of the foot that you dont see any change on Greene's body. This is pure fantasy, see my comment below, "if it had happened differently it would be different". And that led to to such inconsequential contact that it didnt really register with Greene and Stevic didn't really think much of either. Let me put it to you another way. If Stevic didnt roll out of the way when he saw that contac was inevitable and Toby wasnt backing away he would have been knocked on his arse and Toby life banned.
And yet the pitchfork mob must have their way.....
And I had a consultant at work the other day tell me that if a project was happening a mile down the road the planning rules we were applying to the location of the project wouldnt apply.

True. Also completely irrelevant. In this case if Toby was doing something he wasnt he should have ben cleared. True. Irrelevant.

My corrections are in bold.
 
Last edited:
Sep 26, 2017
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And I had a consultant at work the other day tell me that if a project was happening a mile down the road the planning rules we were applying to the location of the project wouldnt apply.

True. Also completely irrelevant. In this case if Toby was doing something he wasnt he should have ben cleared. True. Irrelevant.

My corrections are in bold. Enjoy the straight sets loss mate. Too old too slow, Giants will be fired right up.
Is that necessary or relevant to the thread?
 

Ron The Bear

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Seriously after 500 replays, we all agreeToby nudges Stevic and moved him around 8mm, a bad look for the game yes. But hows Hogan using the oval as his own personal spittoon, fair dinkum that massive goobie wizzed past the back of Stevics head like a wayward missile and landed at least 8 metres away.....

Actually thought at first that Toby was the spitter as well, as if to say "That *er touched me. Out, germs!"
 
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Toby deserved a sanction but let's be clear here, if touching an umpire is such a bad look, then why is it ok to replay it on TV over and over again?
The AFL and their sycophant talking heads are hypocrits to say the least.

To bring it out in the open and remind everyone it isn't ok? It shouldn't just be swept under the rug.
 
Mar 4, 2015
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To bring it out in the open and remind everyone it isn't ok? It shouldn't just be swept under the rug.

So the only alternative to plastering it all over TV is to sweep it under the carpet, lol.

You sound like my Daughter, she always jumps to the extreme opposite, never anything in between.
 

gbatman

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Green should get a couple of weeks...

The umpire should get a few too. Umpires should stay out of the way of players, IMO some do a poor job of this. The umpire should have been nowhere near the players.

It's like walking in front of a car that was underway and complaining it hit you.

The contact would not have happened if the umpire was doing the right thing. I'm sick of seeing them get in the players space.
 
Jul 13, 2015
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Well yeah, the levels of aggression lead to different levels of punishment. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT?

Except the AFL have said that any intentional contact with umpires is incredibly wrong. But then sometimes it isnt.

Dusty pushed an umpire away. Greene brushed passed an umpire who didnt even think about it at the time and only decided it was a problem after the AFL told him it was a problem. Neale deliberately made contact because the umpire was ignoring him. I guess if youre a Brownlow medallist its probably okay. Sometimes.

But best keep it a grey area. Because that is how the AFL operates.
 

DanWA

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Except the AFL have said that any intentional contact with umpires is incredibly wrong. But then sometimes it isnt.

Dusty pushed an umpire away. Greene brushed passed an umpire who didnt even think about it at the time and only decided it was a problem after the AFL told him it was a problem. Neale deliberately made contact because the umpire was ignoring him. I guess if youre a Brownlow medallist its probably okay. Sometimes.

But best keep it a grey area. Because that is how the AFL operates.
They like the grey areas so they can pick and choose when and who to ban
 
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But then we see Neale and Dusty shoving umpires deliberately 500 times over and it only being a fine means that its not okay, but its really not all that bad sometimes.
Neale and Dusty both made deliberate contact with an umpire. Both got a fine. What is the exaggeration?

500 times over and shoved, I actually can’t remember the Dusty incident and can only find footage and articles about him colliding with that goal umpire so could be wrong, but Neale’s was certainly not a shove.

The tribunal decided that Greene’s action was intentional, disrespectful and intimidating but not forceful hence a three week ban.

Neale’s contact was intentional, but not intimidating, disrespectful or forceful as he was just trying to get the attention of the umpire for a blood rule. It’s still not appropriate to touch and umpire hence he was still sanctioned, but it’s not bad enough to warrant a suspension.

It’s pretty simple if you actually think about the levels involved in coming up with the penalties, I feel like you just want to make it black and white so you can be outraged.
 
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