But in the end Toby Greene once again emerged as the hero for Greater Western Sydney in their thrilling three-point AFL semi-final win over Brisbane Lions on Saturday night.

Greene was a marked man from the outset, greeted with boos every time he touched the ball by the Gabba faithful after being cleared to play the sudden death clash despite pleading guilty to a serious misconduct charge at the AFL tribunal earlier that week.

Greene added to his extensive rap sheet when he copped a $7500 fine for his role in an ugly incident involving Western Bulldogs player Marcus Bontempelli during the first quarter of last week's elimination final.

Overall Greene has been found guilty of 17 offences and fined more than $25,000 in his career.

And he could again come under scrutiny from AFL's Match Review Officer after a second quarter incident involving Lions star Lachie Neale.

Replays showed Greene coming in late on top of Neale who was left grabbing his eye at the bottom of a pack which also did not endear him with the parochial Gabba fans.

But Greene only fed off the fired up crowd, finishing with a game changing 30 touches and two goals as the Giants booked their third preliminary final in four years.

Greene said he had not let his tribunal run-in after the Bulldogs clash bother him in the semi-final.

"Unfortunately or fortunately I have been used to dealing with a couple of those things over the last couple of years," Greene told Seven Network.

"I didn't read too much into it.

"I was obviously hugely relieved to get the fine and it is what it is.

"I was just glad I was able to contribute and help the boys get the win."

Asked if he felt the ferocious game could have boiled over as the Gabba crowd turned on him, Greene said: "There was a lot of heat in the game, they brought it early and we probably responded.

"There were a few kicks off the ball at the start of the game. The umpires probably set the tone.

"But I guess that is finals footy, if you lose you go home. No one was leaving anything out there."

Greene spent time in the forward line but also earned his fair share of midfield ball to help prove the difference for the Giants who next take on Collingwood in a Saturday twilight preliminary final at the MCG.

"I was a bit cooked in the third quarter so I wasn't playing too much mid but I found something in the last and it was great to finish it off," Greene said.

Meanwhile, Greene kept his fingers crossed star midfielder Stephen Coniglio would return from a knee injury against the Pies.

Australian Associated Press