AFL Eagles to get under GWS Greene’s skin

West Coast coach Adam Simpson will encourage his players to get under the skin of Greater Western Sydney forward Toby Greene in Saturday’s crunch AFL clash at Spotless Stadium.

Greene has a history of on-field misdemeanours, and it will play into the Eagles’ hands if the fiery goalsneak lashes out.

The 23-year-old was the difference when the two teams met in round 10, booting two crunch goals in the final term to lift GWS to an eight-point win in Perth.

Simpson said ruffling the feathers of Greene would probably be a tactic his team uses this week.

“I think we’ll try everything to try to get him off his game. That might be part of it,” Simpson said on Thursday.

“He’s a very dangerous player.

“”He’s a playmaker, but they’ve probably got seven match winners, and their ability to turn it on in short spurts is also pretty good as well.

“So it’s going to have to be a four-quarter effort.”

Greene is free to play this weekend after escaping with a fine for his boot to the face of Bulldogs midfielder Luke Dahlhaus.

The incident divided opinions in football circles around the country, and Simpson joked: “I thought he could’ve got a week for that karate kick.”

West Coast’s finals hopes hang in the balance ahead of daunting clashes with GWS and Adelaide.

Depending on other results, a loss to GWS could spell the end of West Coast’s top-eight ambitions.

West Coast’s midfield has struggled for most of the year, and Simpson conceded his team needs to pull out something special in that area against the star-studded Giants.

When the teams last met, GWS obliterated West Coast 54-31 in the clearances, and 56-43 in the inside-50m count on the Eagles’ hope deck.

But West Coast have some happy memories of Spotless Stadium.

In their last match there, ruckman Nic Naitanui kicked a goal with just a few seconds remaining to snatch a famous one-point win.

Naitanui is back training with the main group after recovering from a knee reconstruction, but he is unlikely to play again this year unless West Coast go deep into the finals.

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