Collingwood have leapt to the defence of Jack Ginnivan after he was spotted at Moonee Valley races the night before the AFL Grand Final.
Magpies chief executive Craig Kelly said he had no issues with one of his stars unwinding at the races, describing it as just one of many ways that modern players prepare for matches.
“Everyone wants to make a big thing of that but Jack does that most weekends. He loves the races, just going out there relaxing and he’s such a relaxed kid. He’s a beautiful kid and everyone wants to make a hoo-ha about it,” he said on SEN Radio.
He added in another interview with Triple M: “That’s how we roll now. Everyone just chill and relax. The players, let them do what they want.”
SEN report Sam Edmund described it as a “unique preparation” and said Ginnivan turned a few heads when punters at the track realised who he was on the night before the GF.
Ginnivan reportedly spent a couple of hours in a private box with friends with one of them a part-owner of a horse that was racing.
Collingwood coach Craig McRae has picked Ginnivan in the starting line-up and plans to use Patrick Lipinski’s fresh legs late in the game with hot conditions expected for the match.
The Magpies insist they are well prepared to handle the effects of the hot weather.
Players from both sides went for a stroll this morning to help shake off the pre-game nerves.
The Brisbane Lions are staying only a few hundred metres from the MCG but have taken buses to the ground to avoid heckling from Magpies fans.
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