'Love thy neighbour': AFL stars snapped in bizarre mid-match 'kiss'

The man who brought the world that iconic photograph of a high-flying Tayla Harris kick has done it again.

Michael Willson captured the imagination of the sporting world after his incredible picture of AFLW star Harris went viral.

During the GWS Giants' thrilling AFL finals win over the Brisbane Lions on Saturday night, the photographer was back at it.

The drama-filled clash at the Gabba was a spiteful affair at times, however, out of the animosity came a moment of beauty.

It came during a fiery first quarter scuffle, where both teams engaged in a bit of push and shove following a goal to GWS star Toby Greene.

Players from both sides spilled in from all angles, with Lion Darcy Gardiner and Giant Jeremy Finlayson squaring up to each other in a heated face-off.

Video of the incident provided no real evidence of the moment that Willson had so expertly captured.

A close up image of the scuffle that centred on two of the main protagonists painted it in a much rosier light.

There - for what could only have been a split second in real time - were Gardiner and Finlayson's faces locked in what appeared to be a passionate embrace of lips.

Willson couldn't resist the urge to send the photo out on Twitter, complete with a kissing emoji.

Fans flooded social media with reaction to the brilliant snap.

Greene guides GWS to thrilling win

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.

With AAP