GWS coach Leon Cameron says Toby Greene has got a good case, but history suggests the Giants talisman may find it tough to get his one-match suspension overturned by the AFL appeals board on Thursday.
The ban for making unreasonable or unnecessary contact to the eye region of Brisbane’s Lachie Neale was upheld on Tuesday, despite favourable testimony from the Lions’ star, who said he couldn’t recall feeling any contact to his eyes.
The odds are stacked against GWs given only two of 16 players have successfully challenged tribunal verdicts.
GWS are in grave danger of contesting Saturday’s preliminary final against Collingwood without arguably their two most influential players, as Lachie Whitfield has already been ruled out.
The Giants on Wednesday were in the process of looking to add a QC to Greene’s defence team, which was headed on Tuesday by his advocate Adrian Anderson, former AFL general manager of football operations.
Giants CEO David Matthews and football manager Wayne Campbell will be among the team supporting Greene in Melbourne.
If Greene attends the appeal on Thursday and is successful, he would remain in Melbourne and be joined by the rest of his team on Friday.
“The reason why we’re going to appeal is we think we’ve got a good case,” Cameron said.
Cameron said Greene wasn’t perfect but was adamant the GWS foundation player was aware of the need to keep looking at his game.
“He knows that there are areas of his game that he needs to improve in and that’s just not going to change overnight,” Cameron said.
“But what I do love about him is that he’s willing and able to address it and look at it as well as still perform at a very high level, when he’s continuing to work on some of the areas he needs to improve on.”
Greene has worked with a sports psychologist in he past and Cameron didnt rule out utilising that option again.
‘If that can help Toby play a better brand of footy then absolutely we’ll definitely look at it,”Cameron said.