GWS Giants appealed in the tribunal trial to overturn the suspension of their two key players following their recent match against Carlton. During the game on Saturday, April 20, Giants captain Toby Greene and forward Jesse Hogan were suspended due to incidents involving opposing team members.
The Giants believed the suspensions were unjustified and appealed them in the tribunal. The tribunal panel dismissed Hogan's suspension while upholding Greene's, meaning he will miss their next match against Brisbane.
Jesse Hogan was suspended after a collision with Carlton's defender Lewis Young. The suspension was based on low impact, intentional conduct, and high contact charges. However, the tribunal panel determined that the impact was not severe, allowing Hogan to participate in the next match.
In Greene's case, his suspension resulted from an incident with Carlton's defender, Jordan Boyd, during the fourth quarter. Greene flew to catch the ball, but his body made contact with Boyd's head, leading to charges of medium impact, careless conduct, and high contact.
Greene tried to defend himself during the tribunal hearing, saying that his eyes were on the ball and that he had not noticed Boyd until the very last moment. He said (via Fox Sports):
"Just when I’ve left the ground I realised Boyd’s hands are gonna get there just before mine, meaning if I go in with an open chest, I open myself up to impact. Hence turning my body to protect myself, knowing he was going to get there before me.”
“The whole time I thought, I’m gonna mark it. t wasn’t until Boyd’s hands got there just before mine, fractions of a second, that I realised he was gonna get there and I turned and braced," he added.
Despite Greene's defense during his tribunal hearing, his appeal was unsuccessful, and he will still miss the upcoming match against Brisbane.
Essendon Bombers coach Brad Scott criticizes GWS Giants Toby Greene's suspension
GWS Giants' Toby Greene's suspension drew criticism from rival club Essendon's coach, Brad Scott.
During a press conference on Monday, April 22, Scott expressed his views on the suspension, stating (via Fox Sports):
"We do seek clarification, very rarely, but sometimes on how we should instruct the players – I couldn’t help but notice Adam Kingsley’s comment (after the Greene incident). (Kingsley said) you’re allowed to look at the ball, launch and try to mark the ball, and (Peter Wright) is just nodding his head saying, ‘Yes, I agree with that’.“
"Clearly the AFL determine a penalty based on outcome, not on action – that’s abundantly clear now to everyone," he added.
It is important to note that Bombers forward Peter Wright was last suspended for almost the same incident as Toby Greene earlier this year. He was suspended for a month and will return this week in a match against Collingwood on April 25. Meanwhile, in the Round 7, the Giants will face Brisbane on April 25.
