‘Not his smartest’: Star called out for potential seven-figure mistake
Kane Cornes wonders whether Jack Ginnivan has cost himself a significant pay rise by publicly mocking the Tassie Devils, given he comes out of contract as they hunt players to fill their list.
The Hawthorn forward made headlines last week when he declared his lifestyle in Melbourne was “too elite” for a move south.
Jack Ginnivan of the Hawks celebrates. AFL Photos via Getty Images
Speaking on SEN, the 23-year-old also quipped that a $2 million offer from Tasmania would be difficult to knock back.
The Devils fired back with a cheeky post on X, poking fun at Ginnivan for assuming he was even on their radar.
His deal with the Hawks expires at the end of 2027, the exact window Tasmania will use to build its first list ahead of entering the AFL in 2028.
Cornes felt the Hawk had misread his own bargaining position.
“Tactically, not his smartest play, do you think?” Cornes told SEN.
“The best time ever to come out of contract in the history of football is now.
“There’s never ever been a better time to come out of contract. His timing is perfect.
“But the reason it’s a great time to come out of contract is because you’ve got… the worst word in football is ‘spectre’, isn’t it?”
That spectre is the Devils, who are entitled to poach one uncontracted player from every club, with a $5m sign-on bonus pool at their disposal. They can spread that money across as many or as few players as they choose.
Even if Ginnivan never seriously considered heading south, Tasmania’s potential interest alone would have handed his management leverage.
Publicly ruling them out takes a large chunk of that away.
The livewire won a premiership at Collingwood in 2023, booting 58 goals across 42 games in black and white.
Since crossing to Hawthorn, he has added 77 goals from 72 games and is coming off the best season of his career.
Ginnivan insists he is “keen to stay a Hawk for a long time”, but conceded the club’s salary cap could be tight.
“Hopefully the Hawks still have enough money after the last few years,” he joked.
Hawthorn landed Zach Merrett and Ben King in the trade period, while Will Day, James Sicily and Karl Amon are among a raft of Hawks also out of contract at the end of 2027.
Top players out of contract at the end of 2027 who could be leveraging the Devils for more money, or potentially joining the club, include Brisbane star forward Kai Lohmann, Gold Coast star pair Noah Anderson and Matt Rowell, GWS midfielder Tom Green and Geelong defender Sam De Koning.
