Tom Papley reveals what Toby Greene said during ugly melee between Sydney and GWS

Sydney Swans firebrand Tom Papley has revealed the little swipe GWS captain Toby Greene said to him at quarter-time of the Swans' thrilling AFL victory last Saturday. Papley was involved in a scuffle with a number of GWS players during the heated battle, which spilled over to the break.

At quarter-time, a melee started when Papley and Greene were face-to-face as the siren sounded. Players ran in from everywhere to pull the two rivals apart. At half-time, Papley was seen sharing words with Greene over his shoulder, before he collided with GWS football boss Jason McCartney amid the push and shove.

The AFL slapped GWS with a $20,000 fine after the “unacceptable” confrontation between McCartney and the Swans star. Papley was instrumental for the Swans in the fourth-quarter comeback, having returned from a six-week absence due to an ankle injury, but was offered a $1,250 fine by the MRO for engaging in the melee.

The same went for Giants captain Toby Greene. The duo were at each other all game as the fiery Sydney derby went to a new level. And Papley has opened up on what started the angry scuffle in the first-quarter. Papley said Greene was goading the Swans star and claiming he was already out of steam having just returned from a long layoff.

"He was like, 'You're puffed Paps, you're puffed. You're tired mate, you're tired. You haven't played in five weeks'. Anyway, I obviously wasn't tired in the last quarter," Papley said on the The Early Crow Podcast. Papley was referring to his brilliant final 10 minutes, which saw him, Isaac Heeney and Joel Amartey lift the Swans to a famous victory.

With GWS leading 82-76 with a little more than three minutes left, Papley went up for a contest and managed to knock the ball forward. The diminutive midfielder regathered the ball and handballed it to Heeney who blasted a goal from 60 metres out. Papley's determination turned the tide with the Swans never looking back.

Isaac Heeney praises Swans effort after GWS win

The Swans' comeback in the fourth quarter means they have the week off and will wait for the winner between Port Adelaide and Hawthorn in the AFL preliminary final. Heeney produced one of the greatest marks the game will ever see in the victory over GWS and the superstar has been arguably the game's best in 2024. Unfortunately, he is ruled out of Brownlow Medal contention due to his one-game suspension earlier this year.

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And heading into the preliminary final, Heeney admitted the Swans have timed their run well with all their stars - like Papley returning - for the finals push. This comes after the Swans suffered a slight dip in form for six-weeks, which was culminated after a brutal loss to Port Adelaide in round 21.

"There's some quality sides (left) and it's fun. I feel like we've timed our run decent," Heeney said. "We left it pretty late in the season but we're doing alright now, which is good." Unfortunately, the Swans will play the vital clash without Callum Mills after the Swans superstar went down injured in training.

Callum Mills to miss AFL preliminary final with injury

Unfortunaetly for Mills, the Swans captain will miss next week's AFL preliminary final at the SCG with a hamstring injury. This could see the return of Taylor Adams to be recalled having missed out on the GWS game with a number of returning stars. Mills tweaked his hamstring at training on Tuesday in what was the club's first major session since defeating GWS in the qualifying final.

And scans on Wednesday confirmed the academy graduate had sustained a minor strain during their active recovery session. Unfortunately, Mills is in a race to be fit for the AFL grand final, if the Swans defeat the winner of Port Adelaide or Hawthorn.