Jack Ginnivan, a top player for Hawthorn, has opened up about the harsh farewell encounter he had at Collingwood at the close of the previous season and the three words Magpies coach Craig McRae used to wound him.
Ginnivan, 21, had a part in the Magpies’ 2023 grand final victory against Brisbane, but a few weeks later, he was let go and joined the Hawks.
The diminutive forward shared some information about his farewell meeting with the team and how McRae urged him to have greater humility.
The gifted child was abruptly abandoned by the Magpies, who he had assumed would be his home for life.
“You don’t think you’re going to change clubs or anything like that when you’re new to the AFL,” Ginnivan stated. “Especially after you win a grand final.”
After winning the grand final, everything kind of faded into the background, and I traveled to Bali with a few friends.
We won the grand final, so it was only two or three weeks (before the trade), which is why the trade period is so close to the end of the season. I was in Bali when the phone calls started, and then everything happened.
In addition, McRae objected to Ginnivan’s contentious choice to attend the races before to the football championship.
“To be completely honest, my only regret about attending the races is that it might have interfered with someone else’s pre-game, the coaches, or the players,” Ginnivan remarked.
Since I knew I would be doing the same thing whether I was at home relaxing on the couch or out to dinner with a friend, I didn’t think it was a huge deal for me.
