Jack Ginnivan cops truth bomb from Luke Hodge over 'disrespectful' act towards Port Adelaide
Hawthorn legend Hodge has had his say on Ginnivan's controversial social media post.
Hawthorn legend Luke Hodge has declared Jack Ginnivan has given Port Adelaide "ammunition" for their semi-final with his cocky call that the Hawks will be facing Sydney in the prelim. Ginnivan has landed himself in more unwanted headlines, days after his appearance at a pub just 24 hours before the Hawks beat the Western Bulldogs divided opinion.
Ginnivan responded to a post from Swans player Brodie Grundy celebrating their win over GWS on Saturday, saying "see you in 14 days". Ginnivan's comment was suggesting the Hawks would beat Port Adelaide this weekend and advance to face Sydney in the preliminary final.
While some have suggested Ginnivan's comment was simply some light-hearted banter and backed the young gun for being so confident, veteran commentator Mark Robinson declared it "disrespectful" towards the Power. And Hawks champion Hodge has also taken exception, saying it only serves to give Port more motivation to beat Ginnivan and Hawthorn.
“Jack, Jack, Jack, what are you thinking?,” Hodge said on SEN radio. “Him going out for dinner last week ... after his exit from Collingwood, probably (shouldn’t have). It was a pub, it wasn’t a restaurant, it was a pub. I probably wouldn’t have done it, but OK. Had some waters and was home at 9pm, no problems at all.
“When it comes to social media stuff, one thing you don’t do is give ammunition to the opposition. He’s having a bit of a joke, he played two years with Grundy at Collingwood. So they know each other and it’s probably a bit of banter. But what you do is you send banter in a text message, you don’t put it out in the open for Port Adelaide to sit there and go: ‘Let’s use this and get stuck into Ginnivan’."
Luke Hodge and Kane Cornes question Jack Ginnivan
Hodge said Hawthorn's leaders should pull Ginnivan into line. “I’m not looking at Sam Mitchell to tell him not to do this, I’m looking at James Sicily, Jack Gunston, Luke Bruest and the leaders of that football club to say: ‘Finals are hard enough. Yes you had a bit of success at Collingwood’.
“But they’ve been around a long time, especially Gunston and Breust. They know how hard finals are and that passion and emotions motivate players. You don’t want to go give anything to an opponent to try and make them come out any more pumped up.”
Former Port Adelaide player Kane Cornes said it would be another "distraction" the Hawks don't need. “He thinks he’s won already, he’s got to come to Adelaide on Friday night first. Is there anyone who can read the room less than Jack Ginnivan?,” Cornes said.
“It’s all working beautifully for him at the moment, Hawthorn is embracing him and happy for him to go to the pub before a game ... but when you get ahead of yourself and it may be half a per cent motivation for Port Adelaide extra - Ginnivan thinks he’s already through to a prelim final.
“Why would he do that? It is not a distraction I would want as his teammate, I’d be filthy. He got the sack from Collingwood for doing something similar, it’s just bizarre.”
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Are Jack Ginnivan's comments 'disrespectful' towards Port?
Robinson said on AFL 360: “I have no issue with him going to the pub, zero ... but he’s bitten off more than he should’ve here. This is about his team and he has disrespected Port Adelaide. He’ll say it’s only fun. You have your fun, but if you involved the club and your teammates, you stepped over the line.
“I suspect either Sam Mitchell or the captain or senior players have to pull him aside and say: ‘Hey Jack, you’re playing good football but you’re still immature. You’re going too far’. He shouldn’t have done that. You can say it’s only five words, not good enough, it’s disrespecting Port Adelaide.
“Not a good start to the week. You know why? Sam Mitchell will be asked about it, every Hawthorn player getting interviewed this week will be asked about it. It is a thought pattern they don’t have to deal with, now they have to.”
