AFL fans blast Brayden Maynard punishment as Jack Ginnivan hits back at Channel 9 presenter

AFL fans have lashed out after Brayden Maynard escaped with a fine for elbowing Jack Ginnivan, who has fired back at Channel 9 host Jo Hall after being labelled a 'disgrace'. Ginnivan got the better of former club Collingwood on Saturday, helping Hawthorn claim a stunning 66-point win over the premiers.

Ginnivan was happy to give it to his former teammates and supporters, celebrating in their faces a number of times after kicking goals. The tetchy scenes appeared to get the better of Maynard, who raised his elbow and hit Ginnivan in the throat while trying to avoid being tackled.

Many in the AFL world beleved Maynard's actions were intentional and called for the Magpies defender to be suspended. But the match review officer let him off with a $2500 fine on Sunday after deeming it careless conduct, low impact and high contact.

The incident sparked a reaction from Hawks forward Nick Watson, who crashed into Maynard and has also been charged with rough conduct as a result. Watson can also accept a $2500 fine after his bump was assessed as careless conduct, low impact and high contact.

But AFL fans aren't happy with the punishment for Maynard, especially considering some of the other suspensions that have been handed down in recent weeks. Many pointed out that Isaac Heeney copped a week ban and is now ineligible for the Brownlow Medal for an incident that looked a lot less intentional than Maynard's elbow to Ginnivan.

Jack Ginnivan responds to Jo Hall's 'disgraceful' swipe

Meanwhile, Ginnivan has issued a response after veteran Channel 9 host Hall labelled his actions on Saturday night 'disgraceful'. The 21-year-old, who helped Collingwood win the flag last year, amassed career-high tallies of 31 disposals and four clearances in the best of his 58 career games to date.

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He also kicked two goals and sparked wild celebrations when he struck in the third and fourth quarters, with Hawthorn running rampant in front of 74,171 fans. Ginnivan was booed by a section of Collingwood fans throughout the game and happily gave it back to them with some of his reactions.

That led Hall (a big Collingwood fan) to write on social media: “What a smart arse Jack Ginnivan is. We were beaten by a way better team. But his behaviour is disgraceful”. Ginnivan responded on Sunday afternoon, writing: “That’s a mean thing to say Jo”.

Sam Mitchell heaps praise on Jack Ginnivan

Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell said about Ginnivan after the game: "Ginni is one of those players that the crowd love and the media loves to talk about ... but in our preparation we didn't make much of him.

"We look more at what he does for us as a side. We know that he's been an important player for us across the year and we've missed him the last couple of weeks. To get him back, we knew it would bring a lot of energy and the sense of theatre of the game was fantastic. But for us it was really important that he played his role and did his job, and he did more than that.

"If you think about how long it feels like he's been around - how many times he's been on the back page or there's been a story about him - he seems like he's much older. But he's 21 years old, so he's still maturing, still growing into his footy and still learning how to handle different opposition and situations and roles.

"It's all come off the back of an enormous work ethic and a desire to prove that he can be a fantastic and well-rounded player and not a flash in the pan. To his credit, two-thirds of the way through his first season with us he's doing a lot right."

with AAP