At 6ft 11in Toner towers above even his Leinster team-mates, and having hit six foot at just 11, the now 28-year-old has always had size on his side on the rugby pitch.
But Toner admits that as a bit of a gentle giant, he had to make a big adjustment to develop the ferocity that sees him now scrum-down alongside Paul O'Connell in the Ireland second row.
And the lock - who has made seven GUINNESS PRO12 appearances this season - claims there will be no more love lost on the field.
"Jonathan Sexton calls me Mongo after the gingerbread man in Shrek," Toner told the Daily Mail.
"People used to say I wasn't mean enough and I would just roll with the punches. I was always the Big Friendly Giant as a teenager, not someone to throw my weight around.
"It's not like I've suddenly developed a mean streak, but I've had to work on that ability to physically dominate my opponent.
"I've had my fair share of critics and I've had to develop that edge. You leave the nice guy approach behind when you get on the pitch."
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