Inaugural Tasmania Devils coach Ken Hinkley has a fresh message for Hawthorn star Jack Ginnivan: “Text me.”
Hinkley was at his cheeky best when he appeared on Channel 7’s The Agenda Setters on Tuesday night, and couldn’t help himself when asked if Ginnivan would be a player he would attempt to lure south.
“Anyone who’s out of contract in 2027 is interesting (for the Devils), Kenny, one of those is Jack Ginnivan,” AFL expert Kane Cornes probed.
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“You’ve you’ve had a good run in with him, but would you like him in Tassie colours?”
Hinkley replied with a grin: “We both love being in Tassie together …
“We had a celebration down there last year, so I mean Ginni, and I are tight. You know, there’s no doubt about that.”
The rivalry between Ginnivan and the former Port Adelaide mentor started during the 2024 finals series when Ginnivan sent a social media message to Sydney’s Brodie Grundy which implied Hawthorn was dismissing Hinkley’s Port and already thinking about the SCG and the preliminary final.
At the end of the semi-final (which Port, of course, won), Hinkley then made an aeroplane wings gesture to Ginnivan, saying it was indeed his team that was boarding the plane to Sydney, sparking a fiery war of words for which Hinkley was later fined.
Ginnivan returned serve last year when he celebrated a goal (in Tasmania against Port) with his own aeroplane wings gesture.
But there is no doubt Hinkley would love to entice someone of Ginnivan’s calibre to his new team.
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“Anyone that’s uncontracted is on the radar,” Hinkley said on The Agenda Setters.
“Ginni, if you could text me, that’d be great.”
Hinkley was also asked if Brisbane premiership coach Chris Fagan was a person of interest for the club, given Fagan hails from Tasmania.
“Chris Fagan’s a great at the game and, you know, and he’s a Tasmanian, so anything that Chris would offer and help and be prepared to do for the for the Tasmanian Devils, well, we’d be we’d be right on board with that,” Hinkley said.
Hinkley said he was close to the 65-year-old Fagan and they were in constant communication.
“He’s texted me to say well done and congratulations but Fages and I, we have lots of communication regularly, even before the Tasmanian Devils job was announced a couple of days ago,” he said.
Luke Hodge also threw in a cheeky question to Hinkley about coaching a State of Origin team so he could “rub shoulders with a few of the greats” to try and talk them into a move to Tassie.
Hinkley, earlier this year, had been critical of the fact that current coaches were picked for State of Origin duties, and they had an unfair advantage of being able to “rub shoulders” and build relationships with stars from rival clubs.
“Well, I think it’s a great opportunity, Luke. If I could get that opportunity, it’d be one I’d take,” was his immediate reply.
“Having contact with 30 of the best players from Victoria wouldn’t be a bad thing, I wouldn’t have thought.
“I have seen some coaches do it pretty well.”
