Levi Greenwood Biography

After 86 matches for the Pies following 74 for North Melbourne across 2009-2014, Levi Greenwood announces his retirement, opting to prioritise his health after a history of concussion.

The 32-year-old had been weighing up his future over the past month after he was concussed in a collision with Nic Naitanui during the Pies' round five loss to West Coast in what would prove to be his final AFL game.

"Stepping away from my playing career will be a readjustment. However, I'm excited for the opportunity to work as a VFL coach and assist with rehab for the remainder of the season, allowing me to put my health and my family first."

Levi Greenwood's playing future is up in the air as he continues to deal with concussion symptoms stemming from a heavy hit five weeks ago.

The 32-year-old, who is playing on a one-year contract in 2021, will meet with a specialist on Friday to determine his next steps.

Greenwood was involved in a heavy collision with West Coast's Nic Naitanui in round five before he was ruled out of the following week's Anzac Day clash due to delayed concussion.

The Pies treated Greenwood's recovery slowly and acknowledged his previous concussion incidents before attempting to ramp it up in subsequent with running and non-contact training.

Levi Greenwood reveals that he has signed a new deal with Collingwood to play on for the Magpies in 2020.

"The club decided they wanted me to continue on. It was more about my body, and it's been good," he said.

"It's a load off the shoulders because this is a tough time of year for a lot of players. I'm just glad they still see a spot here for me."

Levi Greenwood and Tyson Goldsack are allegedly involved in a physical altercation with ex-AFL player Nathan Djerrkura at a remote Northern Territory pub.

Greenwood and Goldsack were in the NT for the White Ribbon Football Competition and Family Day earlier that day at Hindle Oval in Nhulunbuy, about 1000km east of Darwin.

Levi Greenwood might be the fifth-oldest Magpie playing on Grand Final day, but it hasn’t stopped him consulting his teammates for advice.

"Over the last few weeks they’ve been a sounding board for a lot of the younger boys and myself as well," Greenwood said of his teammates with Grand Final experience.

"The week’s a lot different and they’ve got the experience of finals before so it’s really good to have those senior boys in the team and feed off them."

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley has defended the club’s medical processes despite having three key players racing against time to be fit for the start of the 2018 season.

Jamie Elliott (ankle) and Levi Greenwood (knee) had delayed surgery after injuries dating back to last season, while Alex Fasolo suffered a shoulder injury at the start of pre-season.

In each case the Pies initially went down the rest and recuperation path before eventually opting for surgery.

"You can be aggressive with surgical intervention, but it’s for the doctors and physios to decide what the right course of action is," Buckley said.

Levi Greenwood undergoes left knee surgery and is expected to be out of training until late January.

Greenwood sprained his medial ligament in round 20 and the club decided on rest, rather than opting for post-season surgery.

Greenwood, 28, had trained throughout the pre-season but felt pain in his knee.

"The surgery, to the medial ligament, is relatively minor, but it should allow Levi to fully recover and play and train pain free. We expect him to be back running inside six weeks," football manager Geoff Walsh said.

Levi Greenwood's season could be over after he sprained his medial ligament against North Melbourne.

The noted stopper has avoided serious injury but he will miss the next fortnight.

Levi Greenwood will make a shock return to Collingwood's senior side to play the Sydney Swans this week, despite having hip surgery just two weeks ago.

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley hailed Greenwood's "first-class" recovery.

"He's just like a fresh player that can come in. He's been exceptional," Buckley said.

"We think he can add a bit of grunt to us through the midfield."

After overcoming injury setbacks Levi Greenwood wants to prove to his teammates and the coaching staff why the Magpies recruited him.

"You put in the big pre-season, you get to the end of the line and then you hurt yourself, which is quite frustrating," Greenwood said.

"That's footy. You get injuries and that's what happens."

Greenwood made his return through the VFL in June after eight weeks on the sidelines and two separate setbacks, to his ankle and a pre-existing foot complaint, which delayed his return even further.

"I wasn't patient with it," Greenwood said. "I wanted to come back as soon as possible. I had a couple of setbacks so they put me back a couple of weeks.

"Once it got to eight or 10 weeks I was like, 'I just want to play, now'. But I came back and probably pushed it a little bit too hard.

"The last training session before I was coming back I twisted it a bit and set myself back two weeks.

"I'm feeling fit now and as other guys get tired towards the end of the year hopefully I can toe the rope a little bit there and run out games pretty well."

Collingwood will be without midfield recruit Levi Greenwood until midway through the season after scans revealed he had suffered a hairline fracture in his right ankle.

The Magpies estimate the 26-year-old will be off his ankle for about six weeks before entering a rehabilitation program.Magpies president says recruit will miss a lot longer than round one.

"He will be off it for about six weeks and after that it will be however long it takes him to run again," Magpies director of football Neil Balme said.

Collingwood is likely to be without Levi Greenwood for at least its round-one clash against the Brisbane Lions after the recruit suffered an ankle injury.

Greenwood hurt his right ankle when it became trapped underneath Jarrad Grant as he tackled him in the third quarter of the Pies' 61-point NAB Challenge loss to the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium.

North Melbourne coach Brad Scott says it would have been impractical to have kept Levi Greenwood at the club.

"With the number of inside midfielders we've got on our list, and certainly the TPP (total player payments) structure that's in place, to match the offers from the Bulldogs and Collingwood would have been irresponsible," Scott said.

"Some of the offers put to Levi would have distorted our salary cap."

Levi Greenwood says the security of a four-year deal at the Magpies and greater midfield opportunities convinced him to leave North Melbourne after his career-best season in 2014.

"Even though I did have a full season at North I did find that I was getting pushed out a bit and we (North Melbourne) go very deep in the middle, and just the four-year security was a big motivator as well," Greenwood said.

"Them (Collingwood) showing the faith of four years in me puts the pressure back on me and I definitely want to give something back now."

Collingwood has secured midfielder Levi Greenwood from North Melbourne in exchange for pick 25.

The Magpies received the pick from Brisbane as part of the Dayne Beams deal and quickly moved it on to secure the services of the former Kangaroo.

"Levi Greenwood is a hard-nosed mid-fielder who moved into serious centre square company this year," Collingwood recruiting manager Derek Hine said.

Levi Greenwood has asked to be traded by North Melbourne but the club insists it is not due to the additions of free agents Shaun Higgins and Jarrad Waite.

"No one's been squeezed out because of the people who have arrived at North Melbourne," North Melbourne football boss Geoff Walsh said.

"The commerciality of the AFL world says that players out of contract have the opportunity to field offers.

"The currency that Levi was provided by his form this year says that there were a number of clubs interested in him, and the demand for his services were such that he was able to take an offer at the top of the tree."

Levi Greenwood has requested a trade to Collingwood, less than four days after finishing third in North Melbourne's 2014 best and fairest award.

Greenwood's manager Liam Pickering told NAB AFL Trade Radio that he had been trying to get a deal done with North Melbourne all year but in the end it was too late.

"The first offer from North Melbourne was in July, which I did say at the time was underwhelming," Pickering said.

"North, in the end they came up with an offer that would have probably been accepted three months to be fair, or two months ago even.

"But it came late and the fact that it sort of did drag out to that stage where he was still uncontracted up until now meant that other clubs would get involved and when they did they got involved in a heavy way.

"Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs were really keen and in the end he's spoken to the coach from Bali and he wants to go to Collingwood."

Ben Cunnington's emergence as an elite inside midfielder in 2014 has been rewarded with his first North Melbourne best and fairest award.

Cunnington won the Roos' coveted Syd Barker Medal on 47 votes, just one vote ahead of ruckman Todd Goldstein and rejuvenated midfielder Levi Greenwood.

North Melbourne is unconcerned about rival interest in out-of-contract midfielder Levi Greenwood, confident that he will be at Arden Street in 2015.

Greenwood and North are yet to agree on a new deal despite prolonged negotiations.

Richmond is one club that is understood to be interested in speaking to Greenwood if his talks with the Roos break down.

"At this stage of the year, we're talking to Levi and (his manager) Liam Pickering and we've had constant discussions over the past few weeks," North football director Geoff Walsh said.

"I'd expect we'd have an outcome shortly."

Levi Greenwood says he felt he could be on his last chance when he got a call up for the round two clash against the Western Bulldogs.

"I was thinking, 'This is my chance to step up and, hopefully, if I play well in the sub role I'll get a full game next week'," Greenwood said.

"It was at the front of my mind at the start of the pre-season that I was coming into the final year of my contract.

"And I don't want to get delisted, I don't feel like I'm done yet."

Levi Greenwood will miss the start of the home and away season with a "high-grade" ankle sprain that will keep him out for seven weeks.

"I thought I had broken my leg," Greenwood said of his injury.

"It was that sore, and I heard a crack as well. I thought I was going to look down and see that my leg was in two, but luckily it wasn't that bad."

North Melbourne midfielder Levi Greenwood says the faith of coach Brad Scott has helped him improve as a footballer.

"Brad puts a lot of confidence in everyone to go out and have a crack. You don't feel like you're held back. At the start of the year I was tagging a bit but now in the last few games I've been told to go out there, win your own ball and see what happens because that's what he wants me to become in the end, a ball-winning midfielder," Greenwood said.

"It's good to get the leash off and have a bit of a run around and try to get my own ball."