Former Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett has reignited his longstanding feud with AFL journalist Caroline Wilson, after the veteran reporter claimed Jack Ginnivan’s cheeky social media comment may have cost the Hawks a tight semi final against Port Adelaide.
Ginnivan commented ‘see u in 14 days’ on former Collingwood teammate turned Sydney ruckman Brodie Grundy in the lead-up to the match, which saw him accused of disrespecting semi final opponents the Power.
Speaking after the Hawks succumbed by just three points in a thrilling match to end their season, Wilson claimed Ginnivan’s cheeky act not only cost them the game by giving Port Adelaide an extra motivation to win, but also potentially a premiership too.
“You take any edge you can in a final… I would go as far as to argue he’s cost Hawthorn a win, Jack Ginnivan, by what he did what that taunt last week,” Wilson said on 3AW.
“I would go even further to say Hawthorn could have won the premiership.
“What Jack Ginnivan did is just so against, for me, what a club or a player should do… internally, I hope that somebody has explained, ‘Jack, read the room’.”
Kennett took to X to hotly refute Wilson’s assessment, saying unlucky misses in the last quarter as well as a slow start were what denied Hawthorn a preliminary final berth.
“Why is Caroline Wilson such a one trip poney [sic]?” Kennett wrote.
“She is only about controversy.
“To say Jack Ginnivan cost Hawthorn the game last night is factually incorrect. Had PA kicked straight in the first quarter they could have been up 6 goals.
“Sadly in the last few minutes of the game our players hit the goal post twice. Had one been a goal HFC might have won. We did not.
:Ginnivan comments did not affect our last few minutes.
“In the same way Caroline Wilson started the campaign against Hawthorn re. its relationship with its Indigenous players. Selective reporting.”
Kennett would take another whack at Wilson just hours later on Saturday night, following Brisbane’s remarkable five-point semi final win over GWS after coming back from 44 points behind midway through the third quarter.
“I wonder which GWS player Caroline Wilson will blame this morning for their loss to Brisbane Lions today?” Kennett wrote on Sunday morning.
Kennett repeatedly clashed with Wilson during his twin stints as Hawks president from 2005-2011 and 2018-2021, culminating in a tense head-to-head on Nine’s Footy Classified earlier this year when the one-time Victorian premier was accused of mismanaging four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson’s departure from the Hawks as part of a widely criticised coaching handover to Sam Mitchell.
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