THERE'S no fuss about Toby Greene. He dives under packs and dishes out handballs. He takes marks when a player of his smaller stature probably shouldn't and he hits targets by foot.
He's good at finding space and can pump the ball into attack, but is just as good at pushing and shoving and getting in opponents' faces. Mostly, though, Greene is a footballer's footballer. He's tough and hard and knows where the ball is going to be and how to make it his.
"I just like having my hands on the ball," the Greater Western Sydney midfielder says of his natural instinct to win a footy that's up for grabs. "I've always just wanted to get the ball."
It is a skill that's been obvious in Greene's short career. The 18-year-old's 28-possession effort in Sunday's loss to Carlton (equal with Mitch Robinson as the most of any player) lifted his season total to 133 disposals in five games.
But Greene's also a competitor. He was disappointed in losing to the Blues after such an encouraging first half by his young team.
"That was our best game for the first two and a half quarters and then last quarter we just dropped off and the score blew out," Greene said.
"I don’t think the score was a reflection on the game. We were really happy with how it was going at half-time, but we didn’t have as much run as them."
The last time Greene played at Etihad Stadium was in last year's TAC Cup Grand Final. Then, Greene was a member of the Oakleigh Chargers, who lost to premiers Sandringham Dragons.
He noted how he was still learning, and picking up new things, with every game.
At times when Carlton's Andrew Walker went through the midfield he was blown away by Walker's sheer speed, and how most of the Blues' onballers just kept running and running and running. "It was the quickest game I've played," he said.
This was also a 'home' game of sorts for the Giants. Nine Victorian-born Giants, of which Greene was one, hadn’t played in Melbourne before.
In pockets of the crowd were splashes of orange, mostly belonging to families and friends of the 22 players on the field.
Greene had more than 20 friends and 20 family in the stands, plus a couple of former coaches who he saw as he walked off the field at the final siren. His mum Kate bought some 'I Love Toby Greene' badges for the family, and through the game he could hear his dad, Michael, giving his support.
"He was the one yelling the whole time," Greene said with a smile. "It was good to know they were all there."
Next week Greene and his Giants teammates face their next challenge: the Gold Coast. It will be billed as a chance for the new club to win its first ever game, and that's how Greene views it.
"I think we're definitely going in to win next week," he said.
"That’s the main aim. This week is going to be the biggest of our careers so far. I think if we don't win it's disappointing, so we're going there to win."
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Callum Twomey is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow him on Twitter at @AFL_CalTwomey.
