With Ginnivan’s departure from Collingwood, a new hire at Hawthorn joins a unique club.
After departing the Magpies, the cunning tiny forward joins a group of legendary names.
Jack Ginnivan, a new signing to Hawthorn, left Collingwood a few weeks after reaching the pinnacle of the premiership with the Magpies. He now becomes part of a select group of players who switched teams during the off-season subsequent to their AFL debut.
Just eighteen days had passed since Collingwood’s thrilling four-point victory over the Lions, in which the cunning small forward had racked up seven disposals, four marks, and three inside 50s. Ginnivan’s surprise move to Waverley would come after that.
Even though Collingwood’s purchase of Fremantle sharpshooter Lachie Schultz just days before the trade deadline may have contributed to his departure from the Magpies, the 20-year-old is
Ginnivan’s departure from the premiers made him the first player to leave a team that had won a grand final in four years; the last AFL player to do so was Brandon Ellis, an ex-Tiger who is now a Sun.
Ellis signed a free agent contract with Gold Coast after winning his second flag with Richmond. He left Punt Road after eight fruitful years to start over at Carrara.
Ellis made his transfer a year after fellow Eagle and champion Scott Lycett, who also joined Port Adelaide as a free agent, left West Coast’s title team.
In addition, three players would depart their respective teams shortly after winning a premiership medal: Lance Franklin (Hawthorn to Sydney, 2013), Matthew Suckling (Hawthorn to the Western Bulldogs, 2015), and Joel Hamling (the Western Bulldogs to Fremantle, 2016).
After a successful season, ten players have changed clubs since the year 2000, with Des Headland leaving Brisbane at the conclusion of 2002 to join Fremantle.
Josh Carr and Jarrad Schofield, two Port Adelaide premiership players, moved to Fremantle after the Power’s 2004 AFL premiership, while Steven King, a Geelong ruckman, left the Cats after their historic 2007 grand final victory ended the club’s drought.
AFL legends Ron Barassi (Melbourne 1964), Norm Smith (Melbourne 1948), and Alex Jesaulenko (Carlton 1979) would also leave premiership-winning sides, according to AFL history and statistics specialist Col Hutchinson.
After leaving Melbourne as their coach, Barassi went on to win two premierships with Carlton, with other players that have since
Mooney ended his career as a three-time premiership player, having played a part in Geelong’s victories in 2007 and 2009 after moving to Kardinia Park before the 2000 season.
Since Bomber-turned-Cat Tom Fitzmaurice in 1924, Mooney is the only player to have left a premiership side that same off-season and gone on to achieve success elsewhere. Fitzmaurice won back-to-back premierships with Essendon before leaving, and in his first season with Geelong, he would win a third consecutive flag.
Despite the promising trajectory Hawthorn is anticipated to go under head coach Sam Mitchell in the upcoming years, the trend does not bode well for Ginnivan.
Ellis may also try to end the drought, as Damien Hardwick, his own premiership coach, is going to Queensland.
Leave a Reply