Hawthorn star Jack Ginnivan let a couple of expletives slip in an emotional post-match interview after torching his former side at the MCG.
On Saturday, the Hawks cruised to their seventh win in eight games, downing Collingwood by 66 points in a comprehensive showing.
Ginnivan, a 2023 Collingwood premiership player, was instrumental to Hawthorn’s match-winning cause, notching a career-best 31 disposals, 11 score involvements and two goals.
Post-game, Fox Footy’s Cameron Mooney asked Ginnivan to describe his emotions after besting his ex-teammates, and he was perfectly candid.
“Yeah, f**k — that’s a great start!” Ginnivan chuckled to Mooney on Fox Footy.
“Yeah, look, these (Collingwood players) are my mates from the (2023) flag and I respect them so much — I love these guys, and I hope they go really well, but wow, what a win.
“To be honest, I’m just so proud of everyone. All our small forwards, defenders, everyone. We’re so young, and everyone just senses it, and I loved ‘Wizard’s (Nick Watson’s) game, our young boys — I’m just so proud.”
Ginnivan described his burgeoning bond with his forward-line compatriots.
“Me, ‘Wizard’, Finn (Maginness) and ‘Crock’ (Macdonald) are all next to each other in the locker room, so we always hang s**t on each other,” he said.
“We love each other, we love this club, and how can you not love it when you’ve won eight or nine on the bounce or something like that? It’s been so good.
“(We have) too many (handshakes), too many. We’ve all got something with each other, we’ve got Connor (Macdonald) doing a bit of horns — and that’s why I love this club, because you get to be yourself and carry on.”
In the fourth quarter, Ginnivan dished out ‘goodnight’ gestures at displeased Magpies fans, with Mooney quizzing the young forward on the taunt.
“That one (was my favourite celebration), saying goodnight to the Pies, but I love the Hawks fans — that’s what helps me play — the adrenaline kicks in, and without these fans we don’t do what we do, so thank you so much,” he said.
Mooney jokingly suggested Ginnivan create a special handshake with Hawthorn legend Jason Dunstall.
“I used to watch him on Bounce when I was 12, so I love the Chief — he can probably help me with some set shots, so Chief, come down,” he said with a smile.
Dunstall couldn’t help but acknowledge the generational gap, noting the “different breed” of today’s youngsters.
“They’re a different breed, the younger generation,” he said. “They play for the thrill, they love it. They love everything that goes with it.
“It’s interesting you mention it, because he (coach Sam Mitchell) has always had a strong connection with the older players because Mitch is long out of the game and he knows them really, really well — but he’s had to embrace this new generation of young kids coming in.
“He probably doesn’t understand it, because he’s half a generation older than them, but it is a very different breed, these youngsters, and the world of social media.
“Everything they do, the way they celebrate, the way they carry on — this is all part of the way they like to play the game.”
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