Toby Greene verdict LIVE updates GWS star fronts tribunal over making contact with umpire

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“It’s true, it’s not a good look, it’s a terrible look,” Ihle said.

“But the element that’s in dispute...is that Toby Greene intended to make contact.

“There really is no dispute about the umpire’s account.”

Gleeson (acting for AFL): “Umpires are untouchable. It’s fundamental to our game.

“Nothing is more important to the game.

“Toby Greene broke that rule.

“Critically, he did it because he was angry.

“It’s a binary proposition really, he either intended to do it, or he didn’t.”

“It was insolent and it was contemptuous,” Gleeson says of Greene’s actions.

“Toby Greene’s enraged, Matt Stevic is calm, respectful, defuses it.”

“I wasn’t swearing at him, I used a swear word...especially during an AFL game, I do use a lot of swear words.”

Greene maintains that he wasn’t angry during the incident nor that he intended to make contact with Stevic.

Gleeson claims “you actually move closer towards him.”

Greene disagrees.

Gleeson claims Greene went out of his way to walk into Stevic. Greene again disagrees.

Ihle is stepping Greene through the Stevic incident in granular detail.

“I strongly disagree” the conduct was intentional or that he was disrespectful to Stevic.

“I highly respect Matt.

“[But] I don’t think it’s a great look.

“I do apologise for making contact...I agree that it’s not a great look for the game.”

Greene says that had he realised at the time he’d made contact he would have apologised at it would have weighed heavily on him.

Toby Greene and Matt Stevic collide during the elimination final.

“It’s clear that there was some contact,” Greene says.

He agrees with Stevic’s classification of the incident as minor.

“I wasn’t aware of the [contact] until I got asked about it in a post-match interview.”

Greene’s recollection of the incident.

“[I] challenged [Stevic] on a decision.

“I was aware that I was very close to [Stevic].”

Greene says he needed to be close to Stevic to speak to him because it was a noisy environment.

“I certainly disagree that I was intending to make contact.”

Stevic says that at the time he didn’t take the contact as being aggressive or demonstrative.

Gleeson then begins a re-examination of Stevic.

The umpire says “I don’t think it’s a good look for the game.”

“I would say there’s an element of it being disrespectful.”

Stevic reiterates that he didn’t feel threatened by Greene’s “minor” contact.

Stevic says that when he was told by umpires’ coach Michael Jennings post-match that the incident was “getting some attention,” Stevic interpreted that as media attention.

Umpire Matt Stevic.Credit:Justin McManus

Stevic: “As Toby got closer to me he challenged me on a particular decision.

“With regards to making match-day reports for players making contact with an umpire we need to be 100 per cent sure contact was intentional, unreasonable or unnecessary...I wasn’t 100 per cent sure.

“Seeing the vision post-game made clear that I was stationary. I didn’t step into Toby.”

Ihle asks Stevic about his mindset during the game.

“I didn’t find [Greene’s language] abusive or disrespectful.

“In the heat of the game there’s exchanges or conversations between players and umpires...I didn’t feel abused.”

Stevic adds that he didn’t feel insulted or threatened by the exchange either.

Audio from the incident shows that Greene told Stevic “he took a f---ing dive,” complaining about a free kick.

Stevic’s testimony: “Greene made some minor contact to me...I didn’t feel threatened at the time.”

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