Five-time premiership Hawk Dermott Brereton has lauded Toby Greene’s “off the charts” football IQ while highlighting a crucial error by two Swans players that ultimately led to the Giants skipper’s match-winning Sydney Derby goal.
Greene’s masterful snap over his shoulder – his fourth goal of the game at the SCG – put the Giants in front with less than a minute to go and secured him the Brett Kirk Medal for best on ground as his side held on to win a one-point thriller.
Brereton, who commentated the game for Fox Footy, on Saturday night pointed to footage of a shrewd Greene tactic at the last-minute stoppage.
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As the ball was tossed in inside the Giants’ forward 50, Greene pushed off direct opponent Ollie Florent and made a beeline for Sydney defender Braeden Campbell, with Florent then matching up on young Giant Xavier O’Halloran. But Campbell didn’t follow Greene out of the stoppage, nor did Florent go back to man up on the Giants star.
Consequently for the Swans, Greene was fed a handball then snapped a tough goal – despite pressure from Swans player Dylan Stephens – to put the Giants in front by one point – a lead they held onto until the final siren.
Greene plays game-winner in last minute! | 00:43
“He’s picked up by Ollie Florent all day long,” Brereton said as vision of the stoppage goal rolled on Fox Footy. “Florent in that final effort goes to try and tag him as he should … Then he (Greene) goes ‘I’ll break this’ and gets in the face of Braeden Campbell. Ollie Florent thinks: ‘Campbell’s got him, that’s a handover.’ Then he pushes off Campbell and Campbell goes ‘he’s not mine’.
“So Toby just backs out of the pack … they (Florent and Campbell) chase the footy.”
Triple premiership forward Cameron Mooney added: “Both Sydney players walked off on him.
“The question is if you’re Florent, do you break the block and get around? Or do you trust your teammates with the communication that you hope that you have to then take him? Because that’s what you practice from a defence point of view. You practice handovers, but you’ve got to communicate it. There wouldn’t have been any communication there.
Longmire said his team’s effort was “absolutely outstanding” and the Swans’ leaders were “fantastic”, but lamented the three defensive 50 stoppage goals his side conceded in the last quarter.
Sydney Swans press conference | 06:17
While he hadn’t analysed the final play in great detail before speaking to reporters on Saturday, Longmire defended Florent and Campbell.
“There’s danger men everywhere. I haven’t seen it, so I’ll have to go back and have a look at it, but I think there was a handover and he just didn’t get it right for that minute … that’s what I’ve been told,” Longmire said.
“But there were two others (defensive 50 stoppage goals) before that as well.”
Greene finished with four goals from 22 disposals, 11 contested possessions and six inside 50s. Most importantly, 11 of Greene’s 22 disposals ended up in a Giants score.
Longmire opted for Florent as the match-up on Greene and returned fire post-match at questioning over whether that was the best option, adding some of Greene’s goals had come from free kicks and a 50m penalty.
“Who were you expecting? Who?” Longmire said.
“Braeden? You just said he was a bit young to be on him at the last stoppage and he got a goal on him. Who are the other options you’ve got for him?
“I thought he (Florent) has been pretty good at defensive stuff. He’s played on some of the best. But if you put Callum Mills back there, all of a sudden you get criticised as a coach because you put one of your best midfielders to half-back.
Toby Greene: “I was bloody cooked!” | 00:59
“When you look at the team, you’ve got to have solutions. It’s not just about one isolated match-up.
“It’s one thing to throw up a question, you’ve got to come up with a solution.
“He (Greene) kicked four on him. But it’s not an easy task. He’s a good player.”
Brereton said Greene’s football IQ was “off the charts”, adding he was the best clutch player in the AFL.
“People just look at him, some of the antics he’s committed over the journey and think, ‘oh, he must be a mug’. No, he’s no mug,” Brereton said.
“He’s a seriously intelligent fellow and it shines through in those moments on the footy field.”
Mooney added: “I’ve been in love with the way that he plays for a long time. He’s aggressive, he’s super skilful, he’s brave, he’s tough and he’s a great finisher. He’s the full package for a guy who’s six foot.”
Adam Kingsley lavished praise on Greene after he nearly single-handedly secured the Giants’ new coach the biggest win of his short time in charge.
“He’s an outstanding player … He just seizes those moments and looks for those opportunities where he can impact,” Kingsley said.
Asked what makes Greene so special, Kingsley said: “His ability to win the ball in the contest is just elite. If you go through all the elite players in the league they all win contest. His ability to do that in critical moments also is as good as anyone.”
GWS Giants Press Conference | 07:38
While devastated by the loss, Longmire said he was proud of his players’ intent after last week’s 93-point humiliation at the hands of Geelong.
He’s confident the Swans can still rescue their season despite having lost three of their last four games.
“It’s not so much about the season it’s about intent. Our intent was good, we stuffed up a few things which cost us the game,” Longmire said.
“We’ve got to keep that intent as our baseline, which we dropped well away from last week, we’ve got to do it again next week that’s what the AFL industry is about and we’ve got Collingwood next week and that’s going to be a tough one,” he added.
As for the Giants, the remarkable win in Derby 25 is the best in recent memory for them and coach Kingsley is optimistic about their prospects from here.
“Anything’s possible, I think. We’ve still got a lot to learn, a lot of the numbers from today weren’t in our favour but we still found a way to win,” he said.
“To be able to be in every game without being perfect, once we piece together the parts of our game then I think we’re capable of a lot more.”
— with Daniel Garb (NCA Newswire)
