- Jack Ginnivan has admitted he made a mistake with his social media post
- The 21-year-old overlooked Port Adelaide for their final match
- He said he needs to ‘grow up’ after the argument
Jack Ginnivan has admitted he needs to ‘grow up’ after sparking an ugly row with an ill-considered Instagram comment just before Hawthorn lost to Port Adelaide.
Ginnivan, 21, left a comment on Sydney Swans star Brodie Grundy’s page ahead of last week’s preliminary round in Adelaide, saying ‘see you in 14 days’. The Power won the final, ending the Hawks’ season.
After the game, Port manager Ken Hinkley went straight to Ginnivan and reportedly said: “You know you’re not flying anywhere,” taking a dig at the way the youngster had celebrated his goal earlier that evening, which involved him mimicking an aeroplane.
That led to a verbal altercation between Hinkley and Hawthorn captain James Sicily, who told the 57-year-old coach he had been in charge of a “club that is going nowhere” for eight years.
Hinkley was fined $20,000 for his role in the brawl, a decision that has divided the football community.
And Ginnivan says his comment on social media “wasn’t the smartest idea” but thanked Hawthorn’s hierarchy for their support.
“When I think about it, it probably wasn’t the smartest idea, but the leaders and coaches had my full support and backed me,” he told 7News.
Jack Ginnivan says he needs to ‘grow up’ after causing ugly row in final round last week
The 21-year-old was the target of a verbal tirade from Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley
“I guess I just need to grow up and be a little smarter.”
Elsewhere, Port Adelaide youngster Jase Burgoyne revealed how his team used Ginnivan’s polarising five-word text message to their advantage last Friday night.
“We discussed it (Ginnivan’s comments) earlier in the week,” Burgoyne said 3AW.
“They brought it up on the projector and said it was a bit disrespectful. I think it was a comment that they could just reject us.
‘But like I said, we had confidence and we used that as fuel for the game… all the guys did their best and it was a good win.’
Burgoyne said his coach knew he had crossed the line and that he immediately regretted his actions.
“Immediately after the game we were in the locker room and he said he regretted it straight away,” Burgoyne explained.
“He’s an emotional coach and football is an emotional sport. He let his emotions get the better of him at the moment.”