Acting Greater Western Sydney captain and talisman Toby Greene says Jesse Hogan will only get better following his striking debut for the Giants.
Former Melbourne and Fremantle forward Hogan kicked four goals against Adelaide last week, when GWS racked up their highest score and biggest winning margin in more than a year.
"It's been great having Hoges and he's been building for a while and he's a really smart forward," said Greene, who on Wednesday extended his contract two more seasons until the end of 2026.
"He's obviously been to the top of his game in past years and he's been getting back there slowly, so it's been great working with him and I'm sure we'll have a different sort of dynamic in the forward line going forward.
"Hopefully he just keeps getting fitter and you saw the impact he made in his first game, and he's only going to get better from here."
Greene joins long-serving players Nick Haynes (2024) and Lachie Whitfield (2027) as other star Giants to have made medium to long term commitments to the club.
Third on the Giants games list with 165 appearances, Greene is one of a diminishing number of foundation players still at the competition's youngest club.
Many of the early intakes of high draft picks have moved on, including Adam Treloar, Taylor Adams, Dylan Shiel, Devon Smith and Jeremy Cameron.
Classy midfielder Josh Kelly, who has twice before re-signed with GWS despite being coveted by some Victorian clubs, is the biggest name Giant still to sign for next year.
"He's been through it all so I'm sure it's not weighing too much on his mind," Greene said.
"He'd certainly be thinking about it here and there and there will be a lot of guys asking questions but we're not putting any pressure on him."
While missing family and friends, Victorian Greene has never seriously entertained offers to go back and said he always thought he'd be a one-club man.
But 27-year-old Greene, who has successfully converted from a prolific possession-getting midfielder to a match-winning goal kicking small forward, is buoyed by the potential of the second wave of Giants in their early 20s who provided some of the motivation for him to re-sign.
"I really want to give everything I've got to them and build them up," Greene said.
Greene, who has kicked 19 goals in seven games this season, has shown plenty of leadership as captain since Stephen Coniglio suffered a long-term injury in round three.
It's prompted some pundits to suggest the should hold the office on a permanent basis, but Greene insists he's happy to relinquish the role once Coniglio returns, even though he's enjoying the role.
"I love what he does and he brings a lot away from the field as well, It's his role and I'm enjoying playing under him," Greene said.
Australian Associated Press
