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Swann: Why the AFL is taking no further action against Greene
Andrew Slevison • July 29th, 2025 11:14 am
Greg Swann, the AFL’s new Executive General Manager Football Performance, has explained why the MRO has taken no further action with Toby Greene.
The GWS captain was already hit with a one-match suspension for striking Sydney’s Isaac Heeney with a forearm to the back of the head during the Sydney Derby at ENGIE Stadium last Friday night.
A new incident came to light in the aftermath of that game which shows Greene kicking his leg back to the groin area of Dane Rampe after a push and shove moments earlier.
But Greene has avoided sanction for his actions with Swann explaining why the AFL’s MRO Michael Christian has decided against a further punishment.
“It has been (reviewed). ‘Chrisso’ did have a look at it,” Swann said on SEN Breakfast.
“We won’t be taking any action on it, only on the basis that he actually doesn’t connect. Whether we think that’s a thing we want in the game is a separate thing - which obviously we don’t.
“But under the table and things that we’ve got now - and that’s part of the thing I want to have a look at as well is the MRO. At the moment the MRO can only, from a penalty perspective, go upwards. It can’t come down. So it’s zero (weeks) or three.
“Some of these incidents that should get a one or a two (week ban)… you understand that you put the table together to provide consistency but there’s always outliers in footy. Sometimes they don’t fit in those boxes and that’s difficult so we’ll have a look at some of those things.
“This is probably one of those. It was a weird action for sure, but if you look at Rampe he misses him really because he doesn’t react and they just play on.”
While Swann does admit it is a very bad look, the fact that Greene barely made contact worked in his favour.
“There was no strike so it’s none, really. (But) It is a horrible look,” he added.
“But under the table at the moment you can’t (suspend him) and he’d win on appeal.
“I think there’s been a lot of those things and it is about the look of the game. Sometimes there’s almost a catch-all - he doesn’t get him and there’s no strike under the existing rules.
“But we don’t want that in the game.”
SEN's Garry Lyon is not at all a fan of these types of acts.
“It’s a horrible look. You can’t be kicking blokes and you can’t go throwing your boot back to the groin area like that,” said Lyon firmly.
“If he got a week I don’t think too many people will be upset. He should have a week but what they’re saying is the matrix would not allow for a week. I’m sure that will change.
“I can’t contend that Toby Greene gets off scot-free for that. That’s a poor, poor decision.”
Listen to the full chat with Swann below:
