THE BENEFIT of the doubt should not be with Toby Greene when the Match Review Panel sits on Monday after a third straight indiscretion that looks set to earn him a suspension of either one or two weeks.
Two weeks ago Greene was charged with striking Dan Houston off the ball, while last week he was scrutinised for a headbutt that ultimately made insufficient force.
Greater Western Sydney was aware before Friday night's match that the MRP was keeping a close eye on their star half-forward because of a growing list of incidents, including others that were ultimately excused.
That didn't stop the fiery All Australian from crossing the line again on Friday night, striking Western Bulldogs opponent Caleb Daniel with a left hook that should be graded intentional, despite occurring in a marking contest.
If Greene, who was immediately placed on report by umpire Shaun Ryan, is charged with intentional striking with medium impact to the head he will be offered a two-match ban with an early guilty plea.
There is a strong case for medium impact as Daniel suffered a cut to the mouth and was forced off the ground for a period.
Whether Greene should be charged with careless striking or intentional striking will be the point of contention for the Panel, given the ability for players to argue they were trying to punch the ball free.
If the 23-year-old is charged with careless striking with medium impact to the head, he will be offered a one-match ban with an early guilty plea.
Cameron has no problem with 'on the edge' Greene
But should Greene be offered the benefit of the doubt in this case? His left arm hook was clearly not a spoiling action, and his on-field record casts doubt over his intentions.
If Greene and GWS were adamant it was not his intention to strike Daniel high, they would be able to take that case to the Tribunal, which has not sat in 2017.
"We've been telling you for a couple of weeks now that you're getting very close to the edge," umpire Ryan said as the 50m was enforced.
Giants coach Leon Cameron told ABC radio on Saturday he had seen the incident and not heard the audio, but hoped that was not what happened.
"That's one thing I've heard some reports on … but if that did happen, I think that's probably got to be looked at. That would be disappointing if you're going in with a preconceived idea about a particular player because of his previous couple of weeks," Cameron said.
"I'll have a look at that today and if there is something to discuss with (umpires' boss) Peter Schwab, then we'll have a discussion about it on Monday."
Greene, who is one of the most effective half-forwards in the game, has been charged six times in the past six seasons, including a misconduct offence in this year's JLT Community Series.
It is right that the MRP members keep his record in this area as a player in the back of their minds to pick up on off-the-ball hits that broadcast cameras might miss.
When a player is under closer watch than others, it is standard practice for the MRP to let his club know that they are seeing incidents that are coming close to being charged.
Coach Leon Cameron said in the lead-up to the Bulldogs' clash he loved Greene's competitiveness, but he needed to control his aggression.
The star Giant makes great judgments with the ball, but on Friday night he made a poor one without it and he appears certain to miss next Friday night's clash against St Kilda, if not also the round eight meeting with Collingwood.
