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Jack Ginnivan act sparks social media storm as Hawthorn hammer Western Bulldogs in AFL eliminator

Ginnivan hit back at critics with an iconic beer chugging celebration after kicking a goal in the Hawks win over the Bulldogs.

ben talintyre
Sports Reporter
·5-min read

Hawthorn star Jack Ginnivan has hit out at criticism of his pub trip by pulling an instantly iconic celebration in the Hawks' elimination final win. Ginnivan copped backlash for venturing to the London Tavern in Richmond on Thursday night to watch the AFL qualifying final between Port Adelaide and Geelong.

His appearance raised some eyebrows, especially after the box office small forward came under fire for going to the races at Moonee Valley the night before Collingwood's grand final triumph last year. In that instance, Ginnivan was publicly criticised by his old Collingwood coach, Craig McRae. In the final he had a rare quiet night, registering just four touches before being subbed out. McRae wasn't impressed by Ginnivan's race trip, and it was part of the reason Collingwood traded the forward to Hawthorn in the off-season

Pictured Jack Ginnivan
Jack Ginnivan hit back at critics of his night out with an iconic beer chugging celebration after kicking a goal in the Hawks big win over the Bulldogs. Image: Getty

This year, Ginnivan caused another stir when he was seen out at a Richmond pub the night before the elimination final. The 21-year-old played up to the social media backlash ahead of the Hawks' sudden-death clash with the Bulldogs, responding to a post on X with a photo of a cup of tea and a candle on Thursday night.

Ginnivan says he had informed coach Sam Mitchell that he was heading to the pub and that he had no issue with it. "Sam (Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell) has utter trust in me and I texted him before I went to the pub ... I just had a few waters with my mates and I was home by halftime," he told Seven News on Friday night upon arriving at the MCG. "Pretty cruisy from Sam's end and everyone's end."

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 06: Jack Ginnivan of the Hawks celebrates a goal during the 2024 AFL Second Elimination Final match between the Western Bulldogs and the Hawthorn Hawks at The Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 06, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
After slotting home a match-sealing goal, Jack Ginnivan opened a shadow drink and mimicked sculling it in celebration. Image: Getty

Ginnivan insisted he was on the waters and home by 9pm and that for the game against the Bulldogs, he had a celebration in the chamber and when it came time to pull it off he didn't disappoint. After slotting home a match-sealing goal, the small forward opened a shadow drink and mimicked sculling it in celebration.

Post-game Ginnivan opened up on the constant scrutiny from the media, before cheekily asking what he should do the night before next Friday's game against Port Adelaide. "My six best mates were at the pub (on Thursday night)," Ginnivan said. "I had two waters, and watched half a game of footy. The media carries on and I don’t really care to be honest... Can you suggest anything in Adelaide for me? There isn’t much to do there for me." Ginnivan's celebration went down a treat on social media as many lauded the small forward for his performance and said he got the last laugh.

Mitchell has been praised for allowing his young Hawks to show their personalities in their on-field celebrations, and on social media this season. And post-match he leapt to the defence of Ginnivan for heading to the pub the night before a big game, saying his pre-match preparations would have been similar to a majority of his players.

"You guys love to cover everything Jack Ginnivan does," Mitchell said post-game. "We know how he plays, we know he celebrates, we know how he goes about it and I don't think there's any surprises in anything Jack does.

"I actually thought he was enormously influential in the second quarter ... I thought he was a big part of getting the game back on our terms. I didn't ask, I probably should have, but I wonder how many of our players went out for dinner to a public place.

"I think most of us have watched footy at a public venue for the majority of the year ... he played well and lives how he lives and I knew about it."

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Hawthorn advanced to a semi-final showdown against Port Adelaide by thumping the Western Bulldogs at the MCG on Friday night. After a back-and-forth first half, the Hawks kicked away in the third term to run away with the 14.15 (99) to 9.8 (62) victory and end the Dogs' season.

Hawthorn, who finished 16th last season, will start as warm favourites to progress to a preliminary final when they travel to face a demoralised Port Adelaide next Friday. The Power were destroyed by 84 points against Geelong on Thursday night, falling to a fourth-straight finals defeat.

with AAP