Hawks want Ginnivan to be himself, both on and off the field

Hawthorn wants high-profile recruit Jack Ginnivan to be himself both on and off the field as they look to maximize his undoubted AFL talents.

The small forward from Collingwood’s premiership moves to Waverley as a proven goalscorer, but also with a reputation off the field.

He started this season with a two-match ban for illegal drug use and raised eyebrows by heading to the Moonee Valley races on the night of the grand final.

New teammate Will Day says Ginnivan has made a good start at Hawthorn.

“He’ll be great for us… (he’s) in good condition. He looks like he’s put in a lot of hard work, which is really exciting to see,” Day said of Ginnivan, who turns 21 on December 9.

“At the club I’m sure he will be himself and we are very proud of everyone being themselves so that will be great.

“Sam (coach Sam Mitchell) is a big driver of that and everyone feels very comfortable here.”

Ginnivan is an obvious opponent in the Hawthorn attack for veteran Luke Breust, who at the age of 32 has shone again this season with 47 goals.

“As far as feet go, it’s helpful to know where the targets are,” Day said of Ginnivan.

“Some of our smaller attackers, their weapons are coming into the ground. So it will be exciting to have him as a sort of Luke Breust (protégé).

I think Ginnivan is a like-for-like. I think he (Breust) will take it with both hands and really help him through it.

‘I’ve heard Jack say before that he looks up to Breust. It will be good for him too.’

At 22, Day is also one of Hawthorn’s younger players, but after winning this year’s club best and fairest award, the emerging midfielder is one of their stars.

“I’m still exploring where I can go now that I’m in my first year in midfield,” he said.

‘I still have a lot to learn.

“It’s a form of recognition… but when I come back (in preparation) it feels like that’s a thing of the past.”

Day knows there will be a lot more focus on Hawthorn next year as they look to build on this season’s improvement.

Although they finished 16th with seven wins, Hawthorn are a young side who appear to be on the right track.

“We are very excited, but we also have to know that now we will have many more matches with many more expectations,” he said.

“It’s something we probably haven’t had much of in recent years. It’s probably been a little bit easier for us to beat some better teams out of nowhere.

“That will be a challenge for us (next) year and for the future, if we want to be a team at the pointy end of the ladder.”