GWS coach Adam Kingsley does not believe there is any risk in appointing renowned ‘bad boy’ Toby Greene as the club’s sole captain, confident the volatile star will flourish in the role.
Greene admits he was a long way off being a leadership candidate early in his AFL career and has often found himself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons, charged 22 times by the match review officer over 11 seasons.
The 29-year-old’s chequered tribunal history includes a six-match suspension for making contact with an umpire and has resulted in plenty of criticism from external sources.
Behind the scenes, the Giants have long valued Greene’s developing leadership qualities, which led to his appointment as co-captain with Stephen Coniglio and Josh Kelly last season.
Greene has taken the role in his own right this season, with new coach Kingsley preferring the simplicity of a streamlined approach.
Kingsley acknowledges Greene’s history of on-field turbulence but has urged his skipper to continue playing on the edge, adamant the leadership role will bring out the best in him.
“If anything, the captaincy will help him shift his focus to what’s important,” Kingsley told AAP.
“He’ll have to manage himself on occasion … but when the time’s there to actually do something and stand up and do something about the situation if it’s not going our way, then I expect him to do that.
“Like Trent Cotchin and Joel Selwood and all those other great leaders, at times they do cross the line, but we’ll keep working with Toby.”
Kingsley, who did not know Greene personally before taking over as GWS coach in August, described the explosive forward as shy, humble and super-competitive.
“Those qualities certainly shine when you get to know him and he’s really quite intelligent, on and off the field,” Kingsley said.
“He’s high-care, so he loves his teammates, and he’s prepared to do what it takes to help support them.
“He’s not a big talker in front of the group, but when he talks, people listen.
“He has an enormous influence over our group and certainly has a big impact on the field.”
Greene is not given enough credit for his maturity, according to Kingsley, who helped put the new skipper in touch with former Richmond captain Cotchin during the pre-season.
Greene picked the triple-premiership star’s brain on leadership matters over a coffee in Melbourne earlier this month.
“He’s a real thinker about the game and he has a real desire to improve and ultimately win,” Kingsley said.
“That (Cotchin meeting) would be an example and I didn’t push him to do it – he sought that from me.
“As soon as he asked the question I was fully encouraging of it.”
