AFL rules out investigating Toby Greene after GWS superstar admits to wearing illegal studs

7NEWS

03-07-2025

The AFL says it will not hit the GWS Giants with a $40,000 fine after Toby Greene admitted he wore illegal footwear during a game.
On Channel 7's live broadcast last Friday, the GWS captain said that he wore metal studs — that are banned by the league — during the Round 8 game between the Sydney Swans and the Giants.
Greene doubled down on that admission again this week, explaining that he wore the illegal stops for the first half of that game (which the Giants lost by 14 points).
'We played there 10 weeks ago, and it was the same thing ... (as it was on Friday night during the Sydney v Bulldogs clash) but it wasn't a night game,' Greene said on the Ausmerican Aces podcast this week.
'I wore metal studs in the first half because I trained there (on the) Captain's Run, and I was like, 'This (turf) is shocking ...'.
'So I wore metal studs in the first half. I found them a bit heavy. They're pretty hard those metal studs, and they do hurt if you got someone.
'But it was actually embarrassing what was going on there (at the SCG) on the Friday night.'
The illegal stops have become a big issue in the AFL this year and Channel 7's The Agenda Setters recently revealed that the league had sent out a reminder memo to clubs that harsh sanctions were in place if a player broke the rules.
Clubs are liable to a $40,000 sanction should a player be caught in metal stops.
On Thursday (today), AFL chief Andrew Dillon reiterated that metal studs are banned.
However, he said Greene wore the illegal stops before the warning had gone out.
'I think 21 out of the 23 Swans players had longer stops on — not the metal studs — last week,' Dillon said.
'So, I think different conditions sometimes can be cause for different footwear, and I think that's been part of the game for 128 years that the AFL/VFL's been going.'
The issue escalated on Friday night when players were slipping and sliding all over the place on the SCG turf.
And Channel 7 commentator and former superstar Dale Thomas said the league was being a little hypocritical about its stop stance, noting that a player slipping over on shifting turf could do more damage than a player getting injured by a stud.
The AFL had been unaware that Greene made the comments about the metal stops on Channel 7.
'Four weeks ago, as we revealed last week, the AFL sent out a memo reiterating that if you wear metal studs, you face a fine of up to $40,000 and that is not (the player) personally, that's your footy club,' journalist Caroline Wilson said on The Agenda Setters on Tuesday.
'Some footy bosses (such as North Melbourne's) Todd Viney is one who has said to his players that if you wear metal studs, you pay the fine. 'We're not paying it,' (he told the players).
'Now, it's been alleged, I think by (South Australian radio host) Chris Dittmar, that one particular club has been a key offender. We've been trying to unearth who that is. We can't quite confirm that, but the point is, the memo went out after Toby Greene wore the medal studs.
'The AFL is saying they're going to look at the comments and make a decision, but maybe (Greene) wasn't aware of it. (However), the memo originally went out, I think, in 2019 or 2020 ...'
The AFL's memo to the clubs said: 'This is a timely reminder regarding the type of football boots which may be worn in AFL matches, specifically the prohibition of metal stops, which pose a serious risk of injury to players.
'To prioritise player safety, the AFL strictly enforces regulations that prohibit the use of metal stops or studs on football boots.
'As such, it is the responsibility of all AFL clubs and players to ensure that boots worn during matches fully comply with these rules.
'Under AFL regulations 4.8, clubs may be sanctioned up to $40,000 breach.'