TOM GREEN wants you to know about his housemate Billy.

"Oh, he's a silky user," Green laughs.

Billy plays for the Giants' VFL team, and Green thinks it's about time he got some recognition. If not for his football abilities, then for coming through with some last-second Kendrick Lamar tickets courtesy of his brother a couple of weeks ago.

The shoutout might seem like a kind gesture from Greater Western Sydney's budding midfield star. It might also be laden with some guilt, though. Having found Twitter notoriety recently – Green goes by the handle @padreverdi and passed the landmark 1,000 follower count 12 months ago – he then turfed Billy from his profile picture on the social media app and replaced him with his AFL teammate Jake Riccardi.

Billy, at the time, tweeted at Green calling him a "sell out". Tensions were high in their household. But, after pondering for a while on where their relationship sits a few months on, Green counters: "I'd say we're on reasonable terms."

Tom Green handballs during Greater Western Sydney's clash against the Western Bulldogs in round 22, 2022. Picture: Getty Images

Green is yet to play 50 games for the Giants, but in many ways the Canberra kid still resembles a large part of the club's future. He's an Academy graduate, he's the new face of a midfield that recently lost star duo Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper, and he's a leader within a youthful team at the beginning of a transitional period under first-year coach Adam Kingsley. He might also be the funniest man in football.

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Within an instant, Green can shift gears between delivering an insightful and in-depth analysis of his growing importance to the Giants' success this season, to making a plea for a date with popstar Dua Lipa.

"Honestly, I am in love with her," Green chuckles. "She is stunning. Like, she is seriously stunning. And she's also a fantastic performer. Please, feel free to include this. Make sure it reaches her: Dua, I love you."

Before you ask, Green did go and see Dua Lipa when she performed throughout Australia a few months back. And, yes, he did pay extra for the floor tickets up the front. "She was unbelievable," he adds.

Tom Green and Harry Perryman during the Greater Western Sydney team photo day on February 7, 2023. Picture: AFL Photos

Green's music tastes, although strongly felt and often tweeted about, can be divisive within the Giants facilities. It's meant he now deliberately steers clear from taking control of the gym speakers. His love of mainstream rap artists like Drake, Future, Gunna and 21 Savage aren't for everyone, and he understands that his music choices can spark debate, and some ribbing, among teammates.

But that's not why you didn't see Green post his Spotify Wrapped across his growing social media platforms towards the end of last year. No, there was another, slightly more embarrassing reason why he didn't get involved in that trend.

"I would love to have posted it on Instagram, but I had the top three all from the same artist and the same album – and they were also three songs in a row, it was seriously a three-song stretch from the same album – so I couldn't put that up," Green says.

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"It just can't go up. It would feel like I've just let it play. I wasn't comfortable with it. You've got to have some variety. It's a bit of a waste. If you're doing it with songs from the same album or the same person, you're wasting everyone's time."

There are serious matters on the agenda as well. Green, recognised internally within the Giants as a potential future captain of the club and elevated into its leadership group earlier this week, understands his growing importance to the side's success this season.

Given the team lost its 2019 best and fairest Taranto and fellow midfield star Hopper, both to Richmond during last October's Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period, Green knows the onus will be placed upon his shoulders to improve even further this season.

Tom Green during GWS's pre-season training on January 20, 2023. Picture: Phil Hillyard

For some, that would be a big burden to bear. But get to know the talented 22-year-old and you will quickly understand not much fazes him. The responsibility, and the prospect of increased opposition attention, is something he will relish and not fear.

"I'm always disappointed to see both good players and good people leave, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking at it and thinking of the opportunity it gives myself and the other midfielders," Green says.

"That's something I really relish and something I'm really excited to have, that extra responsibility. A lot was made last year that we have a lot of quality players in the midfield and how we balance that and get them their time in there. The reality is you can't.

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"I like and cherish that responsibility and I look forward to it. I don't look at more responsibility and say, 'oh f***'. I think, if you rise to the occasion and you try harder and give everything you have, you will step up because your mates are relying on you."

Besides, Green has faced down such responsibilities before. After all, it's not often a player with just 45 games under his belt rocks up to a ground fixed with an entire area of the stadium brandishing his name.

The 'Tom Green Fan Club', a tent situated at Canberra's Manuka Oval, was an initiative from the Giants to get local university students – the majority of whom are Green's mates – to games in Australia's capital, which happens to be his hometown.

Tom Green in front of the 'Tom Green Fan Club' during a GWS captain's run on April 21, 2022. Picture: Phil Hillyard

The tent can get quite rowdy, particularly during evening fixtures under the lights and more so on the frequent occasions when Green gets his hands on the footy. But the attention it has garnered can still be both a blessing and a curse for the youngster.

"It's funny, but it's also a little bit embarrassing," Green says.

"Particularly if I go to Manuka Oval, like I did against Fremantle and against Brisbane last year, and I can barely get a kick. When you're playing like that, it's not great to look over and see a tent with your name on it."

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Green, a top-10 pick in 2019, is entering the final season of his second contract with the club. But, internally, there is confidence that the youngster will extend his deal early in the upcoming campaign. That would mean many more matches in front of the 'Tom Green Fan Club' in the future.

"I'm obviously aware that this is the last year of my contract, but I haven't thought about it too much. I really love Sydney and I really love the Giants," Green says of his contract negotiations.

"I don't have too many football goals for this season. When I say that, it's because it's more been around getting to know the new coaches and the new gameplan. That's where my mind has been. I have been thinking about it (the contract) a little bit and talking with my manager and stuff, but I haven't given it heaps of thought yet."

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Instead, the only contracts on Green's mind have been those signed by players at his beloved NBA team the Los Angeles Clippers. Having kept a keen focus on last week's trade deadline, the Giants youngster frequently finds himself turning into a fantasy GM in his spare time.

"We're just dysfunctional," Green says.

"We don't have a proper point guard. Reggie Jackson played like a shooting guard instead of actually facilitating and running an offence. Then you've got Kawhi Leonard and Paul George coming back from injuries and they're still inconsistent.

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"We just lack a really good point guard and our offence doesn't flow at all. We're not going to do anything unless we sort that out. Honestly, the Clippers should be better than they are."

His mounting frustration with the Clippers is the last topic Green wants to hit before wrapping things up. Before he leaves, though, he wants one more plug for Billy. Maybe the scouting report he just delivered for Tyronn Lue's team has jogged his memory about his housemate's most noteworthy attributes.

"No, seriously, he actually plays well. He's a pretty good mark and he's got very good hands," Green laughs. "If you're actually writing about this, just put down: 'Smooth mover, silky user.'"