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Jack Ginnivan responds after Hawthorn player raises eyebrows again with pre-finals move

The young Hawk headed to the pub for dinner the night before their clash with the Western Bulldogs.

sam goodwin
Sports Editor
·4-min read

Jack Ginnivan has posted photo proof that he didn't have a late night on Thursday after raising some eyebrows by heading to the pub just 24 hours before Hawthorn's clash with the Western Bulldogs. Ginnivan famously fell foul of Collingwood coach Craig McRae last year when he headed to the horse races the night before the AFL grand final.

McRae wasn't impressed by Ginnivan's decision, and the move was part of the reason Collingwood traded the forward to Hawthorn in the off-season. And 12 months later, Ginnivan has once again raised eyebrows on the eve of a finals game.

Jack Ginnivan at the pub and on the footy field.
Jack Ginnivan headed to the pub for dinner the night before Hawthorn's finals clash against the Western Bulldogs. Image: Twitter/Getty

On Thursday night he headed to the pub for dinner with friends, where he watched the first half of Geelong's finals clash with Port Adelaide. Ginnivan was given permission to attend by Hawks coach Sam Mitchell, and he wasn't drinking alcohol.

He later took to social media with a photo at home, showing he was heading to bed around 9pm. Sam Edmund of SEN radio had earlier tweeted: “More unique preparation for a unique player. Jack Ginnivan out at Richmond’s London Tavern until just before 9pm tonight on the eve of Hawthorn’s elimination final - 12 months after his GF eve trip to the races divided opinion.

"He’s sticking to the routine, anyway. For the record, Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell was fully aware of Jack’s plans and had zero issue with it. So no drama with the Hawks."

Channel 7 reporter Mitch Cleary said it showed how "relaxed" Ginnivan and the Hawks are heading into the elimination final. The majority of fans also couldn't see an issue with where Ginnivan decided to have dinner considering he wasn't drinking alcohol and was home early.

Speaking after Collingwood's premiership triumph in 2023, coach McRae said of Ginnivan: “Jack’s growing up. Is he the youngest player in our team? I think he could be (after Nick Daicos). There’s so much he learns from today, and don’t go to the races the day before is something I’d say.

“Read the room, Jack. You’ve got to grow up, but you’ve got to make mistakes to learn from them. He’s the youngest the player in the room (after Nick Daicos), and he’s got great role models and resilience shown here.

"I'm really determined for us to be really humble...and we want to be winners. I don't know if a winner goes to the races the night before (a grand final). We're all different and if that makes you the best player you can be, go to the races. But I don't want to be an old school coach or anything like that. Would it survive the pub test? Are you setting yourself up to be the best version of yourself for tomorrow?"

Craig McRae and Jack Ginnivan.
Craig McRae wasn't happy with Jack Ginnivan's trip to the races in 2023, especially after he dressed up as a jockey after the grand final. Image: Getty/Twitter

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Ginnivan poked fun at the controversy when he wore a jockey outfit to the club's Mad Monday celebrations. He said about the situation in April: "Me and my mate went there (to Mooney Valley races) at 6.30pm and got home at 9.30. Like, it wasn't really that big of a deal.

"I don't think it's a mistake from my behalf, but probably just how people perceived it. It didn't look great, which would be the only thing I would change. Nothing really came of it until 'Fly's' (McRae) press conference and my exit meeting, and that was sort of when I knew I probably should leave.

"That was a bit of an eye-opening (moment), that exit meeting. The most disappointing thing was probably just no coach or player reaching out to say, 'I want you to stay and we really value you,' and all those things."