Jack Ginnivan has released photographic evidence that he didn’t spend the night in the pub on Thursday, after causing some eyebrows by going to the pub just 24 hours earlier Hawthorn clash with Western Bulldogs. Ginnivan famously fell Collingwood coach Craig McRae’s foul last year when he went to the horse races the night before the AFL Grand Final.

McRae was not impressed with Ginnivan’s decision, and the move was one of the reasons Collingwood swaps striker for Hawthorn offseason. And 12 months later, Ginnivan caused a sensation again on the eve of the final match.

On Thursday evening he went to a pub with friends for dinner, where he watched the first half Geelong vs Port Adelaide final clashGinnivan had permission from Hawks coach Sam Mitchell to be present and did not drink alcohol.

He later posted a photo of himself at home on social media, appearing to be heading to bed at around 9pm. SEN Radio’s Sam Edmund had earlier tweeted: “Another exceptional build-up for an exceptional player. Jack Ginnivan at Richmond’s London Tavern until 9pm tonight ahead of the Hawthorn heat final – 12 months on from his visit on the eve of the GF races, which divided opinion.

“Anyway, he’s stuck to his routine. For the record, Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell was fully aware of Jack’s plans and had no problem with them. So there’s no drama with the Hawks.”

Channel 7 reporter Mitch Cleary said it showed how “relaxed” Ginnivan and the Hawks were heading into the elimination finals. Most fans also didn’t see a problem with where Ginnivan decided to eat dinner, considering he hadn’t been drinking alcohol and had gone home early.

Collingwood coach not happy with Jack Ginnivan in 2023

Speaking after Collingwood’s 2023 championship triumph, coach McRae said of Ginnivan: “Jack is growing up. Is he the youngest player in our team? I think he could be (after Nick Daicos). There’s so much he’s learned today and I’d say don’t go to the races the day before.

“Recognize the situation, Jack. You have to grow, but you have to make mistakes to learn from them. He’s the youngest player in the room (after Nick Daicos) and he’s got great role models and resilience, which he showed here.

“I’m really determined that we’re really humble… and we want to be winners. I don’t know if the winner goes to the races the night before (the grand final). We’re all different and if that makes you the best player you can be, go to the races. But I don’t want to be an old-school coach or anything like that. Would it survive the pub test? Are you preparing yourself to be the best version of yourself for tomorrow?”

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Jack Ginnivan’s racing partly the reason he left Collingwood

Ginnivan joked about the controversy when he wore a jockey’s uniform to the club’s Mad Monday celebrations. He recounted the incident in April: “Me and my mate went there (Mooney Valley Races) at 6.30pm and got home at 9.30pm. It wasn’t that big of a deal.

“I don’t think it was a mistake on my part, but people probably took it that way. It didn’t look good, and that’s the only thing I would have changed. Nothing came of it until Fly’s (McRae) press conference and my exit meeting, and that’s when I kind of knew I should probably go.”

“It was an eye-opening moment, that exit game. The most disappointing thing was probably no coach or player saying, ‘I want you to stay and we really value you,’ and all that stuff.”