Jack Ginnivan, trade from Collingwood, Hawthorn meeting, off field drama, races before grand final،
Nothing illustrates the frenzy of the AFL trade period better than Jack Ginnivan: a lock to stay one day, a good chance to leave the next.
All parties had assured that there was nothing to see as the commercial period approached.
The Collingwood and Ginnivan camps were happy the 20-year-old would stay put for the final year of his current deal following a constructive exit meeting with Craig McRae.
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Fast forward to the penultimate day of the trade period and Ginnivan has been urged by the Pies to explore his options, with Hawthorn in the box with the prospect of an imminent move for the small forward for the premiership .
As first reported by SEN’s Sam Edmund and Tom Morris, rival clubs believed Collingwood was open to trading Ginnivan.
For its part, the club said on Tuesday it had been in contact with Ginnivan’s manager – John Meesen of Kapital Sports Group – who the club said was keen to explore commercial options for his client.
On the other hand, Ginnivan believes this was not a process initiated by him but rather by the Pies, with the 20-year-old’s management telling him he should explore his trade options if he had any.
Ginnivan’s camp believes the small forward is being pushed out by Collingwood, rather than him initiating a move.
Although at this stage we are only exploring a trade, such an outcome is almost certain given the speed of the process and Hawthorn’s interest in securing it.
Collingwood general manager of football Graham Wright told Trade Radio on Monday afternoon he had not fielded any calls about Ginnivan and had not sought to do so.
The whirlwind Ginnivan has experienced over the past 24 hours is evident in the timeline: returning from a trip to Bali on Monday, Ginnivan met Hawthorn on Tuesday and later that day he was at the Pies gym.
There, he posted an Instagram Story of himself with the caption “locked up,” only to delete the post minutes later.
Given Hawthorn’s genuine interest in Ginnivan – Channel 7’s Mitch Cleary reports the club are prepared to offer him a four-year deal – a swap now seems a formality.
Like Adam Treloar before him, Ginnivan would struggle to return to a club he believes is more than willing to offload him.
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AFL Media reports that a trade would center around a future second-round pick, as the Hawks look to juggle a number of deals.
The Hawks make sense as a landing spot considering the club lost Tyler Brockman and will be without Chad Wingard for much of the 2024 season.
He fits the Hawks’ age profile and a developing roster where he can play alongside other emerging talents, not to mention the appeal of playing for a club he grew up rooting for.
Ginnivan is judged more harshly than virtually any 20-year-old in the country and perhaps a move away from the country’s biggest club could help him recalibrate, even if he wasn’t considering such a decision before the commercial period.
The late trade drama shows that while Collingwood has turned a new leaf thanks to the partnership of coach Craig McRae and captain Darcy Moore, the reigning premiers retain a ruthlessly pragmatic side.
Collingwood have shown little hesitation in getting rid of players they feel are surplus to requirements and some would argue the addition of Lachie Schultz served to make Ginnivan exactly that.
By his own admission, Ginnivan does things differently.
He told foxfooty.com.au he wasn’t a “grassroots footballer like everyone else” when asked about his decision to attend the races at Moonee Valley the day before the grand final .
McRae said afterward that Ginnivan had to “read the room” and “grow up,” but also added that Ginnivan was learning like any 20-year-old.
As the trade deadline approaches on Wednesday night, Jack Ginnivan is expected to be a Hawthorn player and his complicated relationship with the Pies to be over.
What happens with his next relationship is up to him.
