Hawthorn track watch: Jack Ginnivan’s first session, positional moves and the top pick who’s ‘flying’
Jack Ginnivan has hit the track for his first session as a Hawk. What will his 2024 look like? Get all the latest intel as Sam Mitchell’s men ramped up their pre-season.
A rested and revitalised Jack Ginnivan has been urged not to stifle his natural effervescent personality at Hawthorn after finally joining the club he supported as a child.
Ginnivan trained for the first time at Hawthorn’s Waverley headquarters since his trade from premiers Collingwood and hit the ground running on Monday.
After being granted an extra week of leave by coach Sam Mitchell he ran strongly in a group that included Conor Nash and Jarman Impey as he took part in most of a two-hour session.
Ginnivan’s cheeky and at times polarising personality – played out across social media – means he has been a lightning rod for controversy.
But as the Hawks consider drafting brilliant Victorian small forward Nick Watson with the No. 5 draft pick on Monday night, Ginnivan was urged to be himself at his new club.
Best-and-fairest winner Will Day said on Monday Ginnivan would have wise counsel from the brilliant Luke Bruest, who was sure to hand over invaluable advice for the fourth-year small.
“He is going to be awesome for us. He’s in good nick. He had put the work in, which is really exciting to see,” Day said of Ginnivan.
“I think footy-wise, knowing where the goals are is pretty handy. A few of our small forwards, their weapons are getting up the ground so he’s a bit of a Luke Breust prodigy and around the club I am sure he will be himself. We really pride ourselves on everyone being themselves so that will be awesome. Sam is a big driver of that, everyone feels really comfortable around here.
“(Breust) has had Moorey (Dylan Moore) and ‘C Mac’ (Connor Macdonald) sniffing around him but Ginnivan is a bit of a like for like and he will take (the advice) with both hands.
“I think I have heard Jack speak about looking up to Luke Breust so that will be good for him as well.”
The Hawks are also set to rookie-list Chad Wingard despite Collingwood’s interest as Mitchell enters his third season as Hawthorn coach.
Hawthorn won seven games in 2023 but many of them were against-the-odds encounters amid a series of heavy defeats.
Day emerged as one of the stars of the competition after his body allowed him to play a full season in the midfield and says both he and the club must deal with added expectation.
“The first few pre-seasons I have always had a few niggles here and there so it’s nice to be going well at this stage.
“We are really excited but we have to know now we will have plenty more games with a lot of expectation.
It’s something we haven’t had a lot of these last few years, and it’s been a bit easier for us to beat better teams out of nowhere without anyone expecting us to.
“Going forward if we need to be the team that is at the pointy end of the ladder we need to get used to some expectations.”
POSITIONAL SWITCH?
Sam Mitchell is considering one of footy’s most exciting positional tweaks as the Hawks hope Changkuoth Jiath can survive enough of the pre-season to move onto a wing in 2023.
It would give the Hawks two elite runners in Jiath and Karl Amon, but first the out-of-contract defender needs to get over niggling groin issues.
Jiath played only eight games in 2023 with a variety of issues including a groin complaint so is being carefully managed by the Hawks at the start of the pre-season.
Hawthorn has enough exciting half backs of a variety of sizes to believe Jiath can be better utilised up the ground.
Jiath and Mitch Lewis (knee) are two of the very few Hawks players still being managed after 2023 injuries but Lewis is on track to complete much of the pre-season.
YOUNG GUN WATCH
Hawthorn has high hopes for its past two top-10 picks with one of them officially “flying” and another due for a positional tweak.
Josh Ward has put together a big off-season after battling continual injuries in his first two seasons since being taken with the No. 7 overall pick.
Amid regular training sessions involving Hawthorn players who caught up away from the club, Ward showed he was ready for a breakout 2024.
Midfielder Cam Mackenzie, selected at pick 7 in last year’s draft, had a strong debut season with 14 games but is likely to take some reps as a half back over summer to see if he can add another string to his bow.
CHAD TO STAY
Chad Wingard is set to be selected in the rookie draft by Hawthorn despite Collingwood’s interest on a one-year deal.
Wingard was at Waverley on Monday watching on as he recovers from achilles surgery, looking comfortable as he hugged teammates despite his meeting with the Pies.
Wingard is eligible for the national draft but instead is set to be taken by the Hawks again after making clear to the Pies he was keen to stay at Hawthorn.
Under draft rules any club can jump in before the Hawks but given he is only likely to be ready in the back end of the season after achilles surgery, a curve ball is unlikely.
RUCK DEPTH
Hawthorn’s Max Lynch was forced into retirement due to concussion issues but the Hawks suddenly have five options in their ruck battery.
Ned Reeves played 21 games in a breakout 2023 season, while ex-Fremantle ruck Lloyd Meek showed some bright spots but needs to work on his consistency.
The Hawks also have Max Ramsden, who played two AFL games this year, and have been impressed by the improvement in mid-season pick Clay Tucker.
Mabior Chol can also take his turn in the ruck in a forward line that will include Lewis and Jack Gunston, so the Hawks finally have some options.
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