By Jon Pierik and Andrew Wu
Why the Hawks aren’t worried about Ginnivan and the ‘rascal pack’
By Jon Pierik
Hawthorn captain James Sicily has praised cult hero Jack Ginnivan for the energy and atmosphere he creates, and insists the public face of the Hawks “rascal pack” can strike the right on-field balance as they emerge as serious finals contenders.
The long-sleeved, long-haired Ginnivan, 21, has become something of a rock star with fans, declaring he has been able to express himself more at Waverley than he had been allowed during his three years at Collingwood.
Jack Ginnivan alongside coach Sam Mitchell (left) at training on Tuesday.Credit: Getty Images
Ginnivan, a rookie draft selection in 2021 and premiership player last year before the Magpies opted to trade him, had a career-best 31 disposals, 11 score involvements and two goals in a 66-point crunching of his former club on Saturday. His strong work rate and preparedness to push up the field was a key part of the win.
“Yeah, I think he is really good for creating atmosphere and energy,” Sicily said on Tuesday. “He has taken ‘Wiz’ [Nick Watson] a little bit under his wing as well. And a lot of these young guys feel really comfortable expressing themselves and being who they want to be in our environment, and that’s something we are really proud of.
“But … we also know that when it’s time to work, we actually work. A lot of the young guys have a really strong work ethic and are able to flick the switch when it’s time to be really serious, but when it’s time to have joy and fun, particularly on offence, you want to express yourself and play with freedom, we want to score, but, sometimes, the defensive side of our game is really strong as well.”
Ginnivan infuriated Magpies fans with his “goodnight” gestures in the final term, and also kissing his new club badge as the Hawks took charge of the match.
Fellow small forward Watson, a member of the so-called rascal pack, and also fast becoming a fan favourite, revealed that the group discuss their goal celebrations.
“There were a few on the weekend, to be honest. We talk about it a tiny bit during the week, but it sort of just comes off instinct after the goal,” said Watson, this week’s Rising Star nominee for his three goals on Saturday.
“I know Jack was loving it, especially against his old mob. It was a bit of fun but, as ‘Sis’ said before, we have our fun, but then we can put our heads down and get to work.”
Sicily, who has also been a lightning rod at times through his career because of his on-field emotions, said he had to play dumb when it came to dealing with the rascals.
“I sometimes bury my head in the sand, I don’t know what’s going on, I just let them do their thing,” Sicily said with a smile.
After a winless opening five rounds, the Hawks now find themselves only two points outside the top eight. They have won seven of their past eight games, and 10 of their past 13.
The turnaround has been stark – since round 11, they are No.5 for scoring, and boast the league’s stingiest defence. In historical terms, these are the statistics a premiership team would be proud of.
They have also made hunting the ground ball a priority – they had 33 more than the Magpies, the biggest differential for any team since 2022.
Sicily, preparing for his 150th game against the Crows in Adelaide on Sunday, said finals were now a realistic aim.
“I would be lying if [I said] I didn’t want to play finals, and the carrot of playing finals is definitely very motivating,” he said.
“I have said this before – the feeling of every game, it really matters going forward. It’s a great spot to be in as a club where you’re challenging for finals.
“We don’t want to be the team that just limps into finals. The opportunity of playing [in finals] is really good, but the understanding is we have heaps of work to do, and we want to be a team that is constantly challenging for top four, top two in the future.”
Williams could miss a month in another blow for Blues
By Andrew Wu
Carlton have another star who could miss a major chunk of the rest of the home-and-away season in a further blow to the Blues’ quest for a top-two finish.
Zac Williams has been a key player for Carlton this year.Credit: AFL Photos
Having already lost Tom De Koning until the start of the finals at the earliest, the Blues on Tuesday said Zac Williams would miss a further three to four weeks with the hamstring injury he suffered in the loss to the Western Bulldogs a fortnight ago.
The longer end of that timeframe would leave the injury-prone Williams unavailable for selection until the final round of the home-and-away season.
Recast as a goalkicking small forward, Williams played a key role in the Blues’ five-game mid-season winning streak. He has booted 14 goals in eight games since being moved out of defence.
Sam Walsh has been cleared of any injury to his back after copping a heavy hit to his hip in the victory over North Melbourne, while Blake Acres has also avoided damage to his foot after being subbed out but must pass a fitness test to line up against Port Adelaide on Friday night.
The Blues could regain as many as four players with Mitch McGovern (hip), Jordan Boyd (shin), Caleb Marchbank (illness) and Orazio Fantasia (calf) all listed as tests.
Back-up defender Sam Durdin bravely played out the game against North with a medium-grade calf strain that will rule him out for four to six weeks.
Collingwood forward Beau McCreery will miss another game with his calf strain despite coach Craig McRae having flagged a possible return this week against Richmond.
Forward Lachie Schultz and defender Charlie Dean must get through contact training to return from concussion this week.
Bomber Darcy Parish is pushing to play his first game since round 10.Credit: Getty Images
Essendon star Darcy Parish is in line to make his return from a lengthy stint on the sidelines as the Bombers push to revive their fading finals hopes against St Kilda.
Not seen at AFL level since round 10, Parish must pass a fitness test later this week on his troublesome calf in order to take his place in the Bombers’ senior side.
After a strong pre-season, Parish has been dogged by soft-tissue injuries, the most serious of which has been a calf strain, which he re-injured in June, further delaying his return.
The Bombers’ midfield was put to the sword during a devastating 17-minute period in the second term when Adelaide eight goals in a row.
Western Bulldogs backman Liam Jones is a chance to return to face Sydney on Sunday after missing the past two matches with a knee injury.
Jones pulled up well from what the club described as a “match parameters” session on the weekend but must get through training on Friday to be selected.
Should Jones be passed fit, it would leave Dogs coach Luke Beveridge with a call to make on where to play Rory Lobb, who has impressed as a defender despite playing almost his entire career as a forward or ruck.
Brisbane’s depleted key defensive stocks was dealt a further blow with Darragh Joyce sidelined by a fractured jaw.
It comes a day after skipper Harris Andrews was ruled out with concussion, leaving the Lions – already without Jack Payne and Darcy Gardiner – with the 192-centimetre Ryan Lester as their only recognised tall defender available to take on a Gold Coast forward line led by Ben King.
Greater Western Sydney will be bolstered by the returns of gun defender Sam Taylor and midfield star Stephen Coniglio for their clash against Melbourne, but have lost speedy wingman Isaac Cumming to a hamstring strain.
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