Jack Ginnivan is enjoying the freedom he has been afforded to play with as a Hawthorn forward, especially compared with the “very structured” system at his old AFL club, Collingwood.
Ginnivan was a revelation in his second year at the Magpies in 2022, kicking 40 goals to help lift his side from second bottom on the ladder to a preliminary final in one season.
But he struggled to recapture the same form during Collingwood’s premiership run last year, falling out of favour after the arrival of GWS recruit Bobby Hill.
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Ginnivan played in the starting 22 on grand final day against Brisbane last year, but was ineffective with just seven touches and no goals. Hill, meantime, was the best player on the ground with four goals and duly won the Norm Smith Medal.
But since making the move to Hawthorn over the off-season, the creative forward has played every game at AFL level this season in a revamped role.
He is averaging six more touches per game than what he did last year as he explores a licence to roam up the ground more as a forward.
Speaking to SEN on Monday, Ginnivan said it had been chalk and cheese compared to what he was asked to do at Collingwood.
“Collingwood is a very structured system and it’s very hard to be a forward at Collingwood,” Ginnivan said.
“Sometimes there were a few dark days where you’re wearing the invisible cloak.
“At Hawthorn, which has been so great for me, you’re allowed to be free and you can go and change over patterns and stuff — where at Collingwood you were stuck on one side and things like that.
“It’s been great to be able to roam free and be able to touch the ball more because I feel like when I touch the ball it can work really well for me.”
Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley handed Ginnivan his debut in 2021, and played him as a forward for five games.
But he sees midfield capability in the 21-year-old, as does Ginnivan himself.
“I feel like my midfield capacity is untapped,” Ginnivan said.
“I’ve always played forward as a kid and potentially I don’t know what I can do through the midfield.
“With my work rate, I’ve always been able to work hard to get into a hole, but probably I am not that fit enough. But I feel like I’m getting really fit (now).
“If I can get up the field and touch the ball more it would be a great thing to do.”
Ginnivan said his new coach had “picked my brain” over his experience with winning tight games at Collingwood, a feature of the Magpies’ success under Craig McRae’s reign since 2022.
“It would be silly not to because I’ve been in that situation so many times,” Ginnivan said.
“We saw last week I was on the bench trying to coach a little bit.
“I love being in close situations, and I feel like I know what I need to do in close situations. I help people around me feel comfortable.
“Unfortunately, last week we just had to go through that loss to realise what we can do.”