AFL Rd 3 - Gold Coast v Adelaide
GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 21: Hugh Greenwood of the Suns kicks the ball during the round 3 AFL match between the Gold Coast Suns and the Adelaide Crows at Metricon Stadium on June 21, 2020 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Jono Searle/AFL Photos/via Getty Images )

Gold Coast recruit Hugh Greenwood was more than happy to rub his old side's face in it after the Suns thumped the Crows.

And Crows football director Mark Ricciuto took the bait.

Greenwood was one of eight players Ricciuto offered a brutal assessment of mid-week, explaining why he and others have left the club.

After 51 games with the Crows, Greenwood was traded to the Suns for a third- and fourth-round pick.

Ricciuto admitted they weren't particularly said to see Greenwood go, calling his move "as much our call or probably more our call".

“Everyone says we’ve got the slowest midfield in the competition, you can’t just keep having those players in your midfield and then whinge that you’ve got a slow midfield,” Ricciuto said.

“He’s 28 this year and not going to be playing in our next premiership side, so we’re trying to get draft picks in to rebuild.”

Greenwood was instrumental in the Suns' big win over the Crows - while only tabling 10 disposals, 8 were clearances, and that went along with 13 tackles.

At one point, Greenwood had just one less clearance than the club that let him go. Picking up on the stat post-game, Greenwood couldn't resist tagging his former footy director.

"If only I were younger and quicker @markricciuto", Greenwood tweeted.

The pile-on started when fellow ex-Crow Charlie Cameron replied with a laughing emoji.

But the fun really got going when Ricciuto himself returned serve at Greenwood.

“Haha all good enjoy the win mate!!” his reply tweet began.

“By the way if you were quicker and younger you might have got more then 10 touches as well...”

Greenwood was more than ready for that reply, too.

“What a shock!! Someone at the Crows more concerned about disposals than actual impact on the game. Who would have thought,” he tweeted.

After setting Twitter ablaze, Greenwood signed off by insisting the back-and-forth was just "a bit of fun on a Sunday night".

“All good banter. However I hope my tweets don’t take anything away from our group’s performance today. A positive step in what’s still a long road ahead,” he wrote.

“Also anyone that knows me, knows I gave everything to the ADL footy club. No hard feelings.”

The Crows are currently 0-3 and marooned on the bottom of the ladder, while Gold Coast are third after two sensational wins.