TOM GREEN'S 2023 stats prove that he already sits comfortably alongside the best midfielders in the AFL but the Greater Western Sydney beast believes that finals football will ultimately determine his standing in the game.

Green is the No.1-ranked player in the competition for disposals and contested possessions per game this season and ninth for score involvements.

If there was any doubt that he belongs among the game's A-graders, those metrics surely dispel that.

But come bouncedown in Saturday afternoon's elimination final against St Kilda at the MCG, Green is of the mindset that the value of those numbers mean little if you don't perform on the biggest stage.

>> Join the Giants faithful at the Parramatta Square Live Site to watch GWS take on St Kilda in the 2023 Toyota AFL Finals Series. Full details below

"Undoubtedly, and I think anyone who says otherwise would be kidding themselves," the 22-year-old told AFL.com.au.

"The best players stand up in big finals. It's something that I'm really looking forward to and I think if I can play my role inside our system, I've got great faith that we'll be in pretty good stead."

Tom Green is tackled by Oliver Florent during the R7 match between Sydney and GWS at the SCG on April 29, 2023. Picture: Phil Hillyard

The Canberra product's stunning campaign saw him selected in the 44-man All-Australian squad just a year after he was dropped from the senior side amid the Giants' struggles in 2022.

Green's form dip was hardly severe.

He still finished third in the club champion award but there were some chinks to iron out in his game and he is gratified personally by the work done to eliminate them.

"I certainly am. I'm proud. I took a lot of lessons out of last year and the thing I'm most proud of is the ability to implement them, and improve from there," he said.

"I've been proud of the season that's been so far, but we reset now, and we're ready to go for a new season now, the most important one that's starting on the weekend."

They might be in a win or bust final on Saturday afternoon against the Saints but the Giants are viewing September as an entirely new campaign.

They are bullish about their prospects of beating anyone on their day and their 10-3 record from the halfway point of the season suggests that's far from an over-ambitious mindset.

03:42

AAA Finals Preview: Saints' engine room worry, look out for the Giant wave

Matthew Lloyd, Damian Barrett and Nat Edwards preview the qualifying final between the Saints and the Giants

Published on Sep 4, 2023

"I think if you look at the way that we finished the year, we've got every right to feel like that. We've beaten good teams. We've won at 10 venues this year, which I think is an equal AFL/VFL record," he said.

"It's given us great confidence that our best football definitely stacks up against the best teams, and we're coming into the finals in great form. I think if we could have played the way we did in the back half for the entirety of the season, we would have finished top four.

"I feel like if we rock up, play our roles within the system that 'Kingers' (coach Adam Kingsley) has brought in, we can beat anybody."

Regardless of what happens in September, there's a consensus building that the Giants are back in the premiership window over the next couple of seasons.

That means the chance to deliver a first premiership for inaugural Giants such as Callan Ward, Toby Greene, Stephen Coniglio, Josh Kelly and Nick Haynes is very much alive.

That's adding an extra layer of inspiration for the next wave of Giants stars coming through, headlined by Green.

"There's certainly motivation to provide those guys with the ultimate success, and it'd be something that I think they deserve to have before their career is done," he said.

"But I'm impatient for that in my own way, most of my motivation to win a premiership comes from within.

"It would be a fantastic thing for those guys and a great reward for the way that they've helped set up our club but it's something that I'm certainly pretty motivated to win myself."

Get ready for an electrifying experience this Saturday in Parramatta! The Toyota AFL Finals Series is live in Parramatta Square this Saturday from 2.30pm. Witness the showdown between Parramatta’s own Greater Western Sydney GIANTS and the St Kilda Saints on the big screen. 

There’s plenty for the family to enjoy with inflatables, kick to kick, giveaways for everyone, a great atmosphere and of course AFL Finals as a backdrop. Come and check out the excitement!