- Giants captain highlighted family rift in new documentary
GWS Giants captain Toby Greene has revealed why he knocked out his father in the team dressing room after an AFL match.
The 32-year-old has revealed he punched his dad Michael to the ground when his drunken behaviour became too much to bear.
‘I knocked him out in the change rooms because he was drunk and carrying on,’ Greene said in the new Amazon Prime documentary Final Siren: Inside the AFL.
‘He’s pretty loud and boisterous and he’s extremely drunk.
‘And I was just embarrassed and just told him to f**k off and punched him.’
The Giants veteran explained that the rift with his estranged dad is especially hard to deal with as he’s the reason Greene first picked up a football.
Toby Greene (pictured) has revealed he was so appalled by his dad’s drunken behaviour after an AFL match that he punched him out in the dressing room
Toby’s father Michael Greene (pictured) has a long history of being in trouble with the law
Michael Greene (circled) is pictured after being arrested for headbutting a policewoman at the 2019 grand final. He was jailed for nine months
‘Like, the reason I love footy is because of him,’ Greene said.
‘So, yeah, it’s hard.
‘That’s what I’ll take with me, and then you learn your lessons from some things that he’s done that you can’t do.’
Greene’s father was jailed for nine months after being found guilty of headbutting a female police officer and resisting arrest.
Michael Greene assaulted the policewoman after watching his son’s side lose the 2019 grand final to Richmond at the MCG, landing the blow while he was being removed from the stadium for being intoxicated.
The footy star’s dad has previously faced charges of assault, stalking, theft and multiple driving offences, including drink-driving and driving while disqualified.
He was also convicted of resisting arrest in 2004 when he received a community-based order and was made to undertake a sex offenders program to deal with his stalking offences.
Previous court orders state he is suspected of suffering from schizophrenia and has fought drug addiction for years.
![The Giants captain (pictured with wife Georgia) said of his dad: 'Ten, 15 years [of] drinking alcohol and drugs [has] probably taken a fair toll on his body and brain'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2026/02/25/22/106682897-15593039-image-a-3_1772059907483.jpg)
The Giants captain (pictured with wife Georgia) said of his dad: ‘Ten, 15 years [of] drinking alcohol and drugs [has] probably taken a fair toll on his body and brain’
Georgia Greene revealed the sickening abuse she has received from so-called footy fans
‘Ten, 15 years [of] drinking alcohol and drugs [have] probably taken a fair toll on his body and brain,’ Greene said of his dad.
The Giants hard man has stamped himself as one of the most talented and hard-nosed players in the league since making his AFL debut in 2012.
He’s also no stranger to controversial moments on the field.
The most recent came when he faced scrutiny for fat-shaming a rival player in the middle of last season.
The Giants captain made headlines for calling rival Tom Papley ‘overweight’ during a half-time interview.
Greene also opened up about another controversial moment for the Final Siren doco.
He said he will ‘never have a beer’ with Marcus Bontempelli after he was charged with serious misconduct for hitting the Bulldogs superstar in the face and pulling his hair in a 2019 finals match.
His wife Georgia also told Final Siren about the horrific abuse their family have been subjected to by so-called footy fans.
‘People are saying “I hope family members die” or “you should kill yourself”,’ she said.
‘Or I have a DM saying “you know, I saw him cheating with girls” and “has he bashed you up?”‘
Greene will be hoping he can lead the Giants further up the ladder after the team finished fifth in 2025, before falling to Hawthorn in week one of the finals.
