Issac Heeney takes cheeky dig at Toby Greene after GWS Giants cop backlash over video
The Sydney Swans ace shared a laugh over the video mocking him.
Isaac Heeney has taken a cheeky swipe at the Giants after a GWS video of Toby Greene mocking the Sydney Swans star prompted backlash. Greene caused a stir last week when he took a cheeky dig at Heeney for a video he posted apologising to Swans fans over his one-week ban.
Heeney addressed Swans fans in a video last week after finding out he would cop a one-game ban. This meant he missed the win over North Melbourne, which subsequently meant he would no longer be in the race for the Brownlow Medal. Greene then posted a similar video addressing the GWS fans - in a cheeky dig at the Swans - after he had received a fine.
While AFL fans are fully aware of the GWS Giants' social media antics - with the club often winning over supporters with their tongue-in-cheek content - the Swans chief executive took exception to the video. While there has been plenty of back-and-forth over the drama, the issue prompted a laugh from the players themselves.
Heeney admitted Greene is a good mate and said he couldn't wait to get back at his rival. He also couldn't help but take a cheeky dig at the Giants and their position on the ladder.
“He’s awesome, we’re good mates,” Heeney said at the Quarter Camp. “So, no love lost there. I’ve just got ammo now. They’ve got to wait for my turn, it’ll come. It’s absolutely in the back pocket.
“It was a nice little gag there, and there will be a gag coming from me soon too, I reckon. We’ll keep focusing on being on top of the ladder, they can keep focusing on being comedians.”
And Greene also admitted he was surprised by the stir around the video. “It got a bit more media (coverage) than I thought it would do,” Greene said when asked about the tongue-in-cheek video. “I think (the media team’s) role is getting cut-through in the Western Sydney market. That’s a bit of what you’ve got to do.
“I can certainly appreciate how hard it is to cut-through in Sydney with footy – they’ve got to be on the edge a little bit. But I can understand that people get frustrated as well.”
Jason Dunstall takes aim at social media backlash
There was plenty of backlash to the Greene video and Swans chief executive Tom Harley hit out at the antics of the rival club. “I did see the Giants’ (post). I’m not going to give it any air — pretty low-brow,” he told SEN Radio on Saturday.
However, Hawthorn great Jason Dunstall hit back at the Sydney Swans chief executive after the comments taking aim at the cheeky video. "We know there’s a hell of a lot worse on social media than just a little bit of fun and games like that. I think it’s great that the two teams are poking fun at each other; it builds up this rivalry that increases the game.
“Tom Harley said something about ‘grow the game’ — well that, to me, is growing it, by building that rivalry.” And Dunstall wasn't the only one who found the video a good bit of marketing from the Giants. David King agreed and said the video was a bit of fun for the fans.
“It shows, to me, that Tom Harley is spending too much time with John Longmire,” King added. “It’s just a little bit of fun — we’re in the entertainment industry, let’s just laugh it off and move on.”