Greater Western Sydney midfielder Toby Greene will appeal his five-match suspension

TOBY Greene is appealing against the penalties imposed on him by Greater Western Sydney yesterday, leaving him at loggerheads with the club.

Greene, 20, was suspended for five matches and fined $5000 by the club’s leadership group after his arrest in Melbourne on Monday night and subsequent assault charges.

The Giants last night confirmed they had been notified of the appeal by Greene’s manager, Paul Connors.

“The Giants are seeking ­further advice from the AFL about the dispute resolution process,” a club statement said.

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The appeal is a bold and ­unusual step. It is likely to be heard by a panel including GWS chief executive Dave Matthews, a teammate and AFL Players’ Association delegate — either Phil Davis or Jonathan Giles — and a third party agreed between the AFL and the players’ union.

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The panel will be required to conduct a fresh ­investigation of Greene’s breaches and form its own view on an appropriate disciplinary measure.

The GWS board yesterday accepted a recommendation by the club’s leadership group, including Davis, Callan Ward, Tom Scully and Heath Shaw, to punish Greene.

Ward, who co-captains the club with Davis, is also managed by Connors.

“Toby’s put his hand up, he knows he’s stuffed up,” Ward said before the Giants were informed of the appeal.

“We’ve got some strong protocols and strong rules here. He drank when he shouldn’t have, he didn’t ­contact the club after he was in trouble, so he’s put his hand up and apologised to the group, he’s extremely upset.”

AFL boss Andrew Demetriou backed the five-game sanction, saying it sent a “clear message” about acceptable player behaviour.

But the AFL Players’ Association yesterday said it supported Greene’s right to appeal against the ban, which includes playing for the Giants’ reserves team.

AFLPA player relations manager Brett Murphy said the suspension was excessive because the club had agreed not to prejudge the police charges laid against the ­midfielder over Monday night’s incident.

“The penalty imposed upon Toby Greene is unwarranted in the circumstances,” Murphy said. “It’s important to note that the penalty relates to Toby’s breach of club protocol. Whilst we support the club not dealing with the alleged incidents for which Toby has been charged at this time to protect the integrity of the criminal process, a five-week suspension for a breach of protocols is grossly disproportionate.”

Greene faces charges including intentionally causing serious injury and assault with a weapon after allegedly attacking a bouncer with one of his crutches at Zagame’s in Caulfield on Monday night.

Matthews said Greene had breached club protocol by drinking alcohol after sustaining an ankle injury in the ­Giants’ 111-point loss to West Coast in Perth on Sunday.

“We are in no way prejudging the charges against Toby, which will be heard in court later this year,” Matthews said.

“However, Toby has failed to meet the standards expected of the playing group by drinking alcohol when injured and failing to properly notify the club about a serious incident within an acceptable time frame.”

Matthews said the Giants were developing “a strong culture” and would “not tolerate any actions by individuals which may jeopardise it”.