WHAT is Toby Greene really like? It is still the most frequently asked question directed to players, coaches and staff inside Greater Western Sydney, although those questions have diminished since he became sole skipper shortly after Adam Kingsley arrived.
Since then, the perception of the enigmatic superstar has shifted. Greene has transformed from a villain to one of the most universally admired players in the game. Almost no one is more watchable for many different reasons; almost everyone wishes he played for them.
Undoubtedly part of the shift has been Greene's accessibility. Unlike other more reclusive big names, the 30-year-old now speaks regularly on radio and TV, promoting the expansion club and discussing the biggest talking points of the day. It turns out, just like the rest of us, Greene is a diehard fan at heart.
This season has been far more challenging than any other for Greene, albeit for different reasons. That's what happens when you have your first child days out from Opening Round and live in a city without family support. But as the year has progressed, things have become more manageable at home. The reigning All-Australian captain has got back to his match-winning best, playing a crucial role in the chase of an elusive first premiership.
Ahead of Greater Western Sydney's final home game of the season at Engie Stadium, Greene invited AFL.com.au into his house, into the Giants' sanctum sanctorum to find out what life is like being one of the biggest sports stars in New South Wales.
Tuesday, August 13
Tuesdays are all about getting moving again after the weekend. That is the purpose of T1. Not everyone trains at the Vailo Community Centre to start the week. Jesse Hogan runs laps, while Lachie Whitfield pedals on a stationary bike. Both have produced seasons destined for All-Australian selection by managing their loads.
Greene does the full session, like always. He needs to move. He is the last one off the track, the last one in the recovery pool, which is located in a converted shipping container, and one of the last ones in the cafeteria for lunch. By that stage, only Stephen Coniglio and Callan Ward remain. They are three of only a handful of players at the club with kids; the older brigade that have grown up together at the expansion club. GM Jason McCartney and national recruiting manager Adrian Caruso join them for lunch. Tuesday is tacos day at the club. Choose your own adventure: grilled chicken, black beans or spicy beef.
Greene is late to the forwards meeting, but it isn't his fault. Sports Integrity Australia is in the building to collect a urine sample from the dual Kevin Sheedy Medallist. It takes longer than expected, so Jeremy Laidler has started without him. By the time Greene enters the small meeting room up the back of the building, the forwards have started a quiz.
Unlike the midfield, this group is young and inexperienced. The only two players above the age of 25 are Jesse Hogan and Greene. Greene is clearly the leader, on-field and off-field. The room feels more settled after he sits down next to Brent Daniels.
Laidler moved from Sydney to the Giants not long after Kingsley joined the club in 2022 and has the role to educate a raw group of high picks, including Aaron Cadman, Darcy Jones and Phoenix Gothard.
The quiz involves identifying 17 slogans and images around the building that have been blurred out. Many are stumped, but not Jake Riccardi. Harvey Thomas is marking off his answers and declares a clean sweep for the Werribee product. Three get almost half, leading to a tiebreak question. None of them can correctly identify the former Giant Laidler has put up on the projector. It is not Aidan Corr; it is Chad Cornes. Only Callum Brown has an excuse, given he didn't arrive from Ireland until 2017, years after the Port Adelaide great finished his playing career and started his coaching career in western Sydney. Hogan can't believe they don't know who it is, much to the amusement of Laidler.
From there, it is time to dissect some moments that could have been improved against Brisbane at the Gabba. Tuesdays are all about learning. The focus is on defensive pressure.
It is a small thing, but the little things matter at the pointy end of the season. It is why the next part of the craft session involves a vortex.
Laidler has laid out four cones in the indoor training area, positioned like a baseball diamond with players stationed on each cone and two in the middle trying to intercept. Cadman and Max Gruzewski stand at each end while Greene and Thomas try to close down the space on the outside. Things get heated, as expected with this group. Greene is the barometer of this group, the calming influence that instils as much confidence on a weekday as he does on a weekend.
As Greene and most of the list exit the building for the day, Leek Aleer, Brown and Cadman remain. They hold group fitness classes for club staff at 4pm on Tuesdays. All three are completing a personal training class and need the practical experience.
These sessions are the legacy of former Geelong and Greater Western Sydney ruckman Dawson Simpson, who supplemented his base salary as a back-up ruckman in Australia's most expensive city by running group fitness sessions a few mornings a week at the club. Simpson is still a cherished former Giant – GWS connects with its alumni as well as any other club in the land – and attended the upset win against Geelong at GMHBA Stadium in round 11.
Wednesday, August 14
Days off are different now with a young daughter. Greene moved to the house he and his partner, Georgia Stirton, bought in Coogee just after Isla was born. He starts his morning earlier than usual, meeting Jesse Hogan not long at 7.30am to be involved in a beach clean-up organsied by the Australian Marine Conservation Society. By the time he gets back, Isla and Oreo, the couple's dalmatian, are both ready for a walk. Georgia is ready to run some errands after another night of broken sleep, which has become par for the course in 2024.
Greene launched 5th Quarter Camps with Swans superstar Isaac Heeney midway through last year. Since then, the two biggest AFL stars in New South Wales have run clinics for kids aged between six and 14 every school holidays. Heeney grew up in Newcastle, deep in rugby league heartland where NRL immortal Andrew Johns was king, and has watched AFL soar in popularity during his decade in the game. Greene moved from Melbourne at the age of 18 and has helped generate interest in the west, where most people still don't even know who the Giants are.
Every Wednesday, Greene and Heeney dial in for a Zoom call with their business partners Jay Rowlings, Will Edwards and Eliza Vesely, the trio from MADE Sports Group in Melbourne who take care of the business side of the company. They are constantly planning for what's next.
After holding the most recent camp across the road from the SCG and inside Sydney's state-of-the-art facility, where Swans AFLW star Chloe Molloy and Giants midfielder Tom Green were both involved, the next two camps are out of town. Albury and Wagga Wagga are next up in October, with plans in the works for expansion into Brisbane and Gold Coast. Greene had the idea and has driven the concept, joining forces with Heeney to grow the game in a part of the world where the NRL is still the hottest ticket in town. At least for now.
Greene has always been aware footy doesn't last forever. He has become more invested in life away from the club the longer his career has progressed. GWS player development manager Dylan Addison uses him as the poster boy for others to emulate. Greene completed a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in International Business and Marketing in 2021. It was a slow burn, but the Wesley College product got there. Since then, he has gradually ticked off a Master of Business Administration at Torrens University. This is something he spends part of his day off doing when Isla has a nap.
He is almost done. When football is done, Greene won't be lost to the game. Sports administration has captured his attention in the past few years. He has watched GWS CEO Dave Matthews and GM McCartney up close.
While it is impossible to picture other box office stars like Jordan De Goey or Dustin Martin transitioning into a football operations post at clubland, this is a very realistic proposition for Greene. Star players seldom make this move, but coaching has become less alluring post-pandemic. Will Greene be dealing with coaches, agents and journalists down the track in his next chapter? Don't bet against it.
Before Matt de Boer joined the AFL Commission last year, he spent the last six years of his playing career at Greater Western Sydney after playing 138 of his 223 games for Fremantle. He left his mark on the Giants in ways that are still being felt. de Boer launched Athletic Ventures, an investment syndicate for elite athletes, in 2020 and opened the door for teammates to become involved.
Greene and Lachie Keeffe have long been interested in the finance world and dove in. de Boer used to joke that Greene always had the AFR in his mitts, but it's allegedly not far from the truth. Along with former NBA star Matthew Dellavedova and Wallabies captain Michael Hooper, Greene has invested in fast food chain Guzman Y Gomez and put money into other start-ups. Football is only part of what Greene spends his week doing.
Projects like this are to secure his future beyond football, as well as providing an outlet from a consuming game. It is the reason why his long-term manager Paul Connors has kept on his back. After all, footy doesn't last forever. Greene is contracted until the end of 2026, but time is running out.
Thursday, 15 August
Greater Western Sydney rose to third spot on the ladder last weekend, but a top-two spot, let alone a double chance, is still not guaranteed. In fact, the Giants could still miss the eight. Yes, it is that tight.
Greene backs out of the driveway at 6.45am ahead of main training day and quickly stops to collect an almond latte around the corner. Rain pelts down in the eastern suburbs. It doesn't change by the time he arrives at the Vailo Community Centre in Homebush half an hour later. Screenings and treatment follow before the door in the auditorium closes at 8.30am on the dot. If you're late, you're not coming in.
Kingsley tells the AFL squad from last week to remain seated and the VFL squad to depart. Coniglio stays put. The West Australian, obviously, is back in the team, but the coach doesn't waste the opportunity to sarcastically question why he is still in the room.
All three line coaches have ten minutes each to drill in their points ahead of training and move on. Ben Hart is interrupted by club physio Matt Cameron barging in unannounced, but the move is orchestrated to loosen things up after a detailed presentation on Fremantle by Craig Jennings, who is wired in at Champion Data and doesn't miss a thing.
The analyst-turned-defensive-coach spent last off-season inside Serie A side Parma and Ligue 1 giant Paris Saint-Germain. He is always looking for an edge and provides one on the Dockers.
When the Giants play at home, they complete their main session at Engie Stadium two days out. It means swiftly after the team meeting ends, coaches and players make the short trip down the road. Everything is done to the minute. The players get in and get out before Kingsley speaks to a small collection of media standing at the top of the race.
Coniglio is ticked off, as is ruckman Kieren Briggs, who missed last weekend due to a shoulder issue. Should Whitfield be All-Australian? Certainly according to the coach, who is adamant there isn't a better half-back in the AFL.
Weights are next back at the club for the forwards. Greene struts around with his shorts rolled up like iconic Real Madrid centre-back Sergio Ramos. He loves the round ball game and loves the Spanish superstar. It is all about maintenance at this time of year, but like the main session, everything is done to a plan. Tick off the work and move on with the day.
Meetings are to come in the afternoon, but before then is a breathwork class with Deano Gladstone from Bondi Rescue. The founder of Power of the Breath comes in once a week to run a brief, 10-minute class in the middle of main training day.
Almost every club is doing breathwork in some capacity, the Giants are no different. Incremental gains are crucial. Deep breaths are needed, everything matters more from here.
