Hawks coach left fuming over rival’s sledge to Jack Ginnivan

Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell didn’t mince his words when he addressed Ken Hinkley’s post-game incident with his players.

Sam Mitchell in his post-match press conference.

Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell has reacted in anger and frustration to Ken Hinkley’s post-game sledge of Jack Ginnivan and his players.

Hinkley went after Ginnivan for his now-infamous “see u in 14 days” comment on Brodie Grundy’s Instagram, telling the forward he “wasn’t going anywhere” in the Port Adelaide coach’s words.

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“I’ll be honest. Jack said what he said through the week, and I just told him after the game, he wasn’t going anywhere,” Hinkley said on Seven.

“I don’t know social media, I just do what I do, I probably shouldn’t have done it, I should apologise to the boys, I shouldn’t have probably done it. But the reality was, you throw something our way, we’re gonna throw something back occasionally.”

Hinkley and Mitchell before the Power coach went after Ginnivan. (Photo by Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

In his press conference Hinkley again said he shouldn’t have been emotional but pointed to Ginnivan’s comments as the catalyst, saying “we as a footy club found it a bit disrespectful”.

Mitchell, full of emotion after a three-point semi-final loss, was left staggered by Hinkley’s on-field sledging.

“I can only speak on my club’s behalf. And if I think about how my club, the Hawthorn Football Club, dealt with the post-game,” Mitchell began.

Sam Mitchell in his post-match press conference.

“We have a very young player who was having some very aggressive words said to him by a much older man, who’s been in the game for a long time. And the captain of my club stood up for him.

“And so I think in a really, it’s really tough to sit here right now, getting rushed by the AFL to make sure you’re at your press conference on time, so I understand the emotions of this time of year are really really difficult and I’m really really proud of our captain who would’ve been just as emotional. Who was able to stand up and lead in a way that he could be proud of.”

Asked whether he would seek to speak with Hinkley, Mitchell said: “Absolutely not.”

To a follow-up question about his frustrations Mitchell replied: “That’s the third question, that’s enough.”

Originally published as Hawks coach left fuming over rival’s sledge to Jack Ginnivan