Sam Mitchell 'absolutely fuming' as rival AFL captains address storm around Jack Ginnivan

Jack Ginnivan is still the talking point of the AFL world with both Lachie Neale and Toby Greene weighing-in on his latest dig at a rival, while Paul Roos believes Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell would be 'fuming' at the drama. Ginnivan continues to divide the AFL world with his bold antics having mocked Port Adelaide ahead of their clash on the weekend.

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 Hawthorn will defeat Port Adelaide away this weekend and advance to face the Swans in the preliminary final.

And legends of the game have already questioned whether Ginnivan went too far this time. Veteran commentator Mark Robinson claimed the comment was "disrespectful" towards the Power. While Hawthorn legend Luke Hodge warned Ginnivan it only hands Port more motivation to beat the Hawks at home.

And Lions captain Neale and GWS captain Greene were also divided on the comment. Neale claimed he would prefer his teammates not to sledge their opponents on social media. Although he understands some players express themselves differently in the modern game.

“It’s a tough one, I know that Jack played with Brodie so there’s a personal relationship there. I wouldn’t comment on social media and do that, it would probably be a cheeky text on the side or something if you wanted to go down that path,” Neale told AFL 360.

“How would I handle it? I’d probably share my experience but at the same time we’ve got guys like Kai Lohmann and Logan Morris that bring so much energy to our team and they express themselves in different ways to what I do as a 30+ year old now. At the same time, you have got to let them go and express their personalities how they wish, if it makes them play better and play good footy good luck to them,” he said.

Greene admitted he didn't mind Ginnivan's cheeky swipe, but suggested the Hawks star will need to back-up his actions against Port Adelaide or face embarrassment. “I’m a little bit different, if you can guarantee me you’re going to do everything to win on the weekend I don’t really care what you say on Instagram, go ahead and express yourself if you want,” he said.

Both captains agreed it wouldn't be their go-to form of sledging. Although both captains agreed the younger generation have a different way of stirring up opponents and expressing themselves in 2024. Regardless, this hasn't sat well with many former players and managers in the game.

Paul Roos breaks down Jack Ginnivan drama

While the AFL world debate the antics, former Melbourne mentor Roos feels Hawthorn coach Mitchell would be 'fuming' Ginnivan's antics have overshadowed the lead-up to the Port Adelaide clash. Many feel Ginnivan's comments may have not gone down well with his teammates.

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And Roos was very critical of Ginnivan's actions and called for the youngster to realise he is playing in a team sport. "Sam Mitchell would be fuming, absolutely fuming. This is their first final and they're a really good footy club. Pull your head in, Jack. This is a team sport, this is not about Jack Ginnivan," Roos said on ABC's AFL Daily podcast.

"This is a footy club that everyone loves watching play and they're tough and they've got a great system. Don't spoil it for your teammates.

"That is up on the board at Port every time the players walk in this week. Does it make a difference? I don't know, maybe, maybe not, but it's just unnecessary. It just smacks of 'I, I, I, I' not 'team, team, team, team'." Only last week ahead of the victory over the Western Bulldogs, Ginnivan was at the centre of attention having made an appearance at a pub just 24 hours before the Hawks victory.

Luke Hodge calls out Jack Ginnivan's comments

On Tuesday, Hawks legend Hodge questioned Ginnivan's sledge and argued it could motivate Port Adelaide in their AFL finals must-win clash. “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," Hodge said on SEN Radio.

"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’."