Jack Ginnivan has sent a clear message after it was revealed he was at a Richmond pub just 24 hours before Hawthorn’s first AFL final, an evening out ticked off by coach Sam Mitchell.
The pre-match plans to watch Thursday night’s clash between Port Adelaide and Geelong with mates threatened to raise eyebrows given his messy departure from Collingwood after last year’s premiership.
Ginnivan attended the Moonee Valley races the night before the grand final and was publicly admonished by coach Craig McRae in the afterglow of the victory, sparking a back-and-forth even after the young gun had joined the Hawks.
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This time, though, he had the full backing of his coach to enjoy himself before Hawthorn’s clash with the Bulldogs at the MCG on Friday night.
“(Ginnivan is) taking in the first half of tonight’s game watching at a pub with mates in Richmond,” 7NEWS Melbourne’s Mitch Cleary said.
“Sam Mitchell knew about it before tonight — he’s OK with it.
“Ginnivan is on the waters, showing how relaxed he is before that game tomorrow.”
Ginnivan’s night out was initially reported as “more unique preparation for a unique player”, and the goalkicking forward did not miss the opportunity to settle the score with SEN’s Sam Edmund.
At 9.13pm he tweeted a ‘Zzz’ sleeping emoji at the journalist, complete with a photo of a cup of tea and a candle.
Speaking on Channel 7, Geelong premiership skipper Joel Selwood could only chuckle at the news Ginnivan had been out and about.
“It’s a strange choice, still,” he said.
“It feels like we’ve been there before… but (he) likes to be spoken about.”
Collingwood premiership player Daisy Thomas said: “You can see the captain’s side of it — you can probably imagine my take on it.”
“Just behave yourself, please, Jack,” he added.
Ginnivan made light of his night out at the races before the grand final when he showed up to the Pies’ Mad Monday dressed as a jockey.
“There’s so much he learns from today, and don’t go to the races the day before is something I’d say (to him),” McRae said after the grand final.
Pressed further if he was happy about Ginnivan going to the races before the game, McRae said: “Read the room, Jack.”
“You’ve got to grow up, but you’ve got to make mistakes to learn from them,” the coach added.