The GWS Giants have suffered a double blow with captain Toby Greene and star forward Jesse Hogan both banned for indiscretions in their defeat to Carlton on Saturday.
A dirty second half where the Giants gave up a three-goal lead to lose by the same margin was compounded by the two incidents in the final quarter.
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Greene collided with Jordan Boyd in a marking contest while Hogan delivered a high open-hand blow to Lewis Young during a scuffle in the goal square.
The teammates will now miss Thursday night’s clash with Brisbane after AFL match review officer Michael Christian delivered his verdict on Sunday night, joining Sam Taylor and Stephen Coniglio on the sidelines.
The Giants skipper’s high bump was graded as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact, which equals a one-match ban, as does Hogan’s strike on Lewis Young, which was graded as intentional, low impact and high contact.
Separately, West Coast’s Tom Barrass was also given a one-match suspension for rough conduct on Michael Walters. Barrass collected the Fremantle veteran in a marking contest in an incident that was graded as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact.
Both Boyd and Young played out the match for Carlton but that was not the detail that GWS coach Adam Kingsley, who lamented the ‘Toby tax’, hoped would see Greene cleared.
Greene was leading for the ball and jumped for a mark, turning his body at the last second before crashing into Boyd, who was running back with the flight.
Boyd was hit in the head and awarded a free kick.
“There won’t be anything in that,” Kingsley said after the Giants’ first defeat of the season.
“He’s allowed to contest the ball, isn’t he? He’s allowed to launch at the ball?
“And if you’re running and launching at the ball, and you’ve got your eyes for the ball, and you’re trying to take a chest mark, and you get knocked … free kick against?
“It’s hard being Toby.”
The Greene-Boyd collision drew immediate comparisons to the one that led to Essendon’s Peter Wright being handed a four-match ban.
Wright caused far more damage to his opponent, Sydney’s Harry Cunningham, who was concussed.
Kingsley was blunt when asked if it is hard for players leading at the ball.
“No, just Toby,” he said.
– with AAP