'I'd be pretty disappointed': Kingsley downplays Greene's taunt

Greater Western Sydney coach Adam Kingsley has said he would be disappointed if Toby Greene copped a fine over his taunt aimed at Sydney's Tom Papley

Toby Greene celebrates a win during round 20, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

GREATER Western Sydney coach Adam Kingsley has dismissed concerns over a taunt from captain Toby Greene about Sydney's Tom Papley, as well as playing down the spray he delivered to his own players before they lifted to overrun Sydney at Engie Stadium.

The Giants trailed by as much as 35 points late in the second term before slamming on 13 of the last 14 goals of the game to come from the clouds for a 44-point victory that put a huge dent in the Swans' slim finals hopes on Friday night.

GIANTS v SWANS Full match coverage and stats

Greene was one of several Giants to have their colours lowered in a disappointing first half but was involved in a fiery altercation with Papley as well as giving away a reversed free kick when arriving late to a contest with a high blow on Isaac Heeney.

The Giants skipper told Fox Footy that Papley “is looking overweight, let’s see how he goes second half” as he walked from the field at the main break but Kingsley expects no further action to be taken over the jibe.

ALL THE HIGHLIGHTS Previous Next 20:07 Mini-Match: GWS v Sydney Extended highlights of the Giants and Swans clash in round 20 of the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season

10:41 'I'd be pretty disappointed if he got fined': Kingsley Watch GWS’s press conference after round 20’s match against Sydney

06:36 'Some players push the boundaries a little bit, Toby's probably one of those': Cox Watch Sydney’s press conference after round 20’s match against GWS

03:18 Watch all nine goals as Giants flex muscles in third-term blitz From slick snaps to booming long bombs, watch GWS light up Engie Stadium with nine electric third-quarter goals to completely turn the tide

08:15 Highlights: GWS v Sydney The Giants and Swans clash in round 20 of the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season

03:52 Callaghan untaggable as epic outing earns Brett Kirk Medal Finn Callaghan brushes aside a James Jordon tag to light up Engie Stadium with a ridiculously good performance that included 27 disposals and a Goal of the Year contender

00:51 ‘This is just incredible football’: Giants go berserk to stun stadium Spectacular goals to Lachie Ash and Jake Stringer inside a minute of each other sees the Giants come from nowhere

00:51 Clever Cadman tap gets Greene in on the action Aaron Cadman keeps the footy alive with this clever tap that lands into the lap of Toby Greene, who slams home the goal

00:56 'Flying Finn' shows serious wheels in Goal of the Year contender Finn Callaghan charges through the middle of the ground before finishing from well beyond the arc in this stunning goal

00:46 Toby’s ‘overweight’ jibe after spiteful first half Toby Greene has some words of advice for Tom Papley in a dicey half-time interview after the two tangle following a wild goal

00:56 Juggling Hayward takes incredible grab Will Hayward reels in this sensational mark and nails the set shot to continue the Swans' hot start

00:57 Toby toes the line in fiery first term with costly reversal Toby Greene plays on the edge with multiple scuffles and swinging blows in a heated opening quarter

00:42 Brutal start as big Swan subbed out in opening minute A shocking start to the derby as Hayden McLean is knocked out cold after copping some accidental contact in a marking contest

04:09 Last two mins, R7 2023: Toby inspires brilliant comeback over Swans The thrilling final moments between Sydney and GWS in round 7

"I wouldn't have thought so. I'd be pretty disappointed if he got fined for ... I mean, he didn't use any language or anything like that, did he?" Kingsley said.

"It's a really important game for both clubs. We know the importance of it and all the players treat it seriously.

“So they're trying to put each other off and they're doing ... all within the rules, of course, but that's just AFL footy, it's part of the game. Winners are grinners, and if you're not, you move on.”

Learn More 10:41

Greene told Fox Footy after the game that Kingsley’s stern half-time feedback directed at him was "direct and long", while key forward Jesse Hogan said that the Giants coach had singled out six players.

Finn Callaghan kickstarted the Giants’ comeback with the first goal after the main break and went on to be the catalyst for a stunning nine-goal blitz with eight disposals, five score involvements and 349m gained just in the third term on the way to being awarded the Brett Kirk Medal for best afield.

Learn More 03:52

The Giants midfielder told Fox Footy that Kingsley’s half-time spray was "the biggest he’s ever given us", though Kingsley kept his cards closer to his chest.

"It was just reminders around the way we want to play and asking certain players to lift their output. I loved the way the guys responded,” the Giants coach said.

“I thought it was led by our leaders, I thought Toby Greene was outstanding, Josh Kelly, Stephen Coniglio, Tom Green.

“I thought they were brilliant, particularly around the contest. It felt like we got our contest game to the level we needed to be. That was a finals-type game tonight.”

Learn More 00:46

The Swans made a blistering start as their intense pressure and ball movement opened up the Giants before being unable to stop the bleeding with Hayden McLean (concussion) and Joel Hamling (hamstring) ruled out.

Sydney coach Dean Cox refused to buy into a suggestion that Greene’s comments about Papley were out of line, only saying that “some players push the boundaries a little bit, Toby's probably one of those”.

Cox was more concerned with the Swans coming to a standstill in the second half and how they can pick themselves up to play out the rest of the season.

Learn More 06:36

"We need to make sure that we fight this year out as well as we possibly can. That's what we're going to do,” Cox said.

“We understand that it's probably mathematically impossible to make the finals, but we're going to have a throw at the stumps as long as we possibly can.

"One thing we need to do is to make sure that we can build as much as we possibly can towards the back end for pre-season for next year.”

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