AFL 2024: Darcy Moore talks Jack Ginnivan’s GF-eve races trip, Pies close in on Patrick Lipinski’s signature
Pies skipper Darcy Moore says he will forever be bonded with Hawk Jack Ginnivan, even after his controversial grand final-eve trip to the races, as the Pies look to lock down a key midfielder.
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Collingwood captain Darcy Moore has labelled Jack Ginnivan’s Grand Final eve trip to the races as an “extraordinary decision” but says he will forever be bonded with his former teammate.
Moore says the Pies are determined to live in the moment across the 2024 season as they tackle a campaign for back-to-back flags, fully aware how challenging that mission will be.
The premiership defence kicks off against preliminary final foe Greater Western Sydney before a round 1 clash against improving St Kilda, with Ginnivan’s new club Hawthorn a Gather Round opponent in round 4.
Speaking for the first time about Ginnivan’s pre-Grand Final decision to go to the Moonee Valley races instead of resting up, Moore said it encapsulated Ginnivan’s desire to tread his own path.
“I actually didn’t find out about it. Because of all the craziness that happened with the flag and everything, I didn’t find out about it until about three days later,” he told this masthead.
“And when somebody told me he went I just couldn’t really believe it, to be honest. Certainly not what I would have done. So it was an extraordinary decision.
“But I think Jack’s showing that he’s an extraordinary guy. He’s a premiership player. Bonded for life, really. So it will add some spice to our game against Hawthorn this year. It will be fun.
“He was a real fan favourite so it will be interesting to see how the fans feel about watching him run around in brown and gold.”
Dogs coach Luke Beveridge reflected last week on the challenges of his side defending their title in 2017 and Moore believes acknowledging the difficulty of that task will help keep his side grounded.
“We have definitely got to keep our feet on the ground. It’s a new challenge for us, dealing with what we did last year and then being able to execute again this year.
“The game will shift again, we will change again and our personnel will change.
“When you achieve that and you go through everything you know how many challenges there were and how hard it is to get to that position,” he said.
“We know we have to do it again and it’s going to look different and we are going to face issues and challenges and it’s not going to be smooth.
“I don’t think our fans quite remember that at the moment. They just remember how exciting it was on the last day of September. So we are focused on the little steps we are going to take to get there and all the challenges that are coming.
“I suppose when you achieve that, and you go through everything, you know, we’re on the inside, we know how many challenges there were and how hard it is to get to that position. So we know we’ve got to do it all again, and it’s gonna look different, and we’re gonna have face issues and challenges and it’s not going to be smooth.”
PIES LOOK TO LOCK DOWN PREMIERSHIP STAR
- Jay Clark
Collingwood is closing on a new deal to keep gun midfielder Patrick Lipinski at the club for three more years.
The Magpies have moved early to lock away the former Bulldog until the end of 2027 following long-term contract extensions for Jordan De Goey (2027) and Nick Daicos (2029) and his brother Josh (2030).
Lipinski, 25, was the Magpies’ sub in last year’s pulsating Grand Final win and looks set to take his game to a new level this year after a standout performance in the pre-season win over Richmond last week.
The hard-running midfielder was one of the biggest eye-catchers of Collingwood’s pre-season campaign, gathering 23 touches including a team-high 11 score involvements against the Tigers.
Collingwood coaches rate the workhorse highly for his tireless running and selfless defensive efforts in support for brilliant ballwinners Daicos and De Goey.
In particular, the versatile playmaker is seen a key pillar of the midfield moving forward as champion veterans Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom consider their futures.
The new deal provides Lipinski security over the prime part of his career after brushing off some serious injury issues which limited his output and restricted him to only 14 games last season.
But he has hit the ground running this summer and is eager to play out the remainder of his career in black and white after switching clubs at the end of a five-year stint at the kennel.
While Lipinski was on the fringe of the Dogs midfield during that period, Collingwood has made clear the club sees him as a key member of the senior engine room.
It was a shrewd move from Collingwood boss Graham Wright who orchestrated a deal with the Dogs for pick 43 after 11 senior games there in 2021.
While there were several clubs chasing Lipinski, the smooth-moving midfielder and his manager, Nick Gieschen from Connors Sports, made the call to join a Collingwood team making a fresh start under new coach Craig McRae.
It was an inspired choice form Lipinski who is now eyeing a key role in a team eyeing back-to-back premierships as part of a campaign which kicks off against GWS Giants on Saturday night in Sydney.
Lipinski played 25 games in his first season at Collingwood in 2022, averaging 22 touches, 3.2 clearances and 5.7 score involvements according to Champion Data.
His output dropped to an average 18 touches a game in the premiership campaign but that was off a serious shoulder injury which wiped him out for the first half of last season.
It was a disappointing development for Lipinski who was forced to undergo his second bout of shoulder injury within a six-month period, but he confident his issues are behind him.
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