Jack Ginnivan and Nick Watson take action after young fans left heartbroken over no-show
The duo are planning on running another clinic for the kids who were impacted.
Hawthorn pair Jack Ginnivan and Nick Watson have moved to make amends for cancelling their planned appearance at a kid's AFL clinic by organising another event for those who were impacted by their decision. The pair were due to appear at a junior football clinic in Ivanhoe with 80 kids whose parents had reportedly paid $65 each for the occasion on Sunday.
The event was scheduled for the morning after the Hawks' club awards night - which both players attended - and Ginnivan and Watson pulled out just hours before they were meant to appear, reportedly sick. Organisers of the event were in the middle of setting things up when a call came through at 9am informing them the duo wouldn't be there. One mother, Vaissy, told 3AW that her son was left "heartbroken" after looking forward to meeting his footy idols.
"He was in tears most of the day and said it was the worst day of his life," she said. "I really hope they were sick, as bad as that sounds. They posted on Instagram around midnight... you don't do that kind of stuff if you're going to be sick."
Vaissy also revealed her son had gone to the trouble of making specially made thank-you cards for the players. "He made the most beautiful thank-you cards for each of them," she said.
"He made one for The Wizard, and it had a wizard hat on the front with Hokball written on it and the most beautiful words inside. And also one for Ginnivan, the same sort of thing, absolutely stunning, all in Hawthorn colours. He put a lot of work into them and was really looking forward to the day."
Jack Ginnivan and Nick Watson working on another clinic
Hawthorn footy boss Rob McCartney expressed his disappointment with Ginnivan and Watson for missing the clinic they had organised. McCartney acknowledged that many young Hawks fans were let down by the pair not showing up but added both Ginnivan and Watson regularly give their time to a wide range of fans.
"What I'll say on this is that there is a need to first and foremost acknowledge the disappointment that the kids felt by not having our two players at a clinic," McCartney told AFL Trade Radio on Friday. "It was obviously not organised by Hawthorn, but a clinic that was going to involve both Jack and Nick and we acknowledge that that disappointment was real for those kids.
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"The second part I want to say is that while their not being there is a reflection on that day, what I will say is that both these boys give a lot of time to kids, to supporters and fans throughout the entire journey. We just need to get the balance right. They might not have delivered on this day for those kids, but they do deliver on a regular basis. They are two players who actually give more than most."
McCartney also noted the pair are planning to make it up to the children who were affected by them pulling out. "Importantly, what has happened after this disappointment is that both the boys - and their management who have been dealing with this - have acknowledged that to try and repair some of the disappointment, they will inform those kids that they're going to run another clinic on another date,” McCartney added. "Again, is it ideal? No. But we have to take all of these things in the fullness of the picture and not in just an isolated incident."
