Ginnivan’s departure for Collingwood marks the new recruit from Hawthorn joining the rarefied club.
The crafty small forward joins some memorable names after leaving the Magpies.
After leaving Collingwood just weeks after his premiership with the Magpies, Hawthorn new signing Jack Ginnivan joins a small club of players who switched sides in the off-season after their arrival on the scene in the AFL.
Ginnivan’s shock move to Waverley will come just 18 days after Collingwood’s thrilling four-point win over the Lions, where the crafty small forward recorded seven disposals, four marks and three inside 50 seconds.
While his departure from the Magpies could be a result of Collingwood’s acquisition of Fremantle sharpshooter Lachie Schultz days before the trade deadline, the 20-year-old is expected to reach exciting heights of taste in brown and l ‘or when it starts .
his next chapter with the team he grew up supporting.
The lead-up period saw Ginnivan become the first player four years removed from the team to win the final in the same year, and with Brandon Ellis becoming a Tiger-turned-Sun, the latest AFL player can do the same thing.
After winning his second flag with Richmond, Ellis joins the Gold Coast via free agency, making a fresh start at Carrara after eight successful years at Punt Road.
Ellis’ decision comes 12 months after champion Eagle Scott Lycett left the West Coast Premiership to join Port Adelaide, also as a free agent.
Between 2013 and 2016, Lance Franklin (Hawthorn to Sydney, 2013), Matthew Suckling (Hawthorn to Western Bulldogs, 2015) and Joel Hamling (Western Bulldogs to Fremantle, 2016) also left their respective teams shortly after requesting the Prime Minister’s medal.
Since the turn of the century, a total of 10 players have changed clubs after a successful season, with Des Headland leaving Brisbane at the end of 2002 for Fremantle.
Josh Carr and Jarrad Schofield, the Port Adelaide premier, would both leave the Power following the club’s first AFL premiership in 2004 with a move to Fremantle, while Geelong ruckman Steven King left the Cats after the war.
won their drought final in 2007.
According to AFL historical and statistical consultant Col Hutchinson, AFL greats Ron Barassi (Melbourne 1964), Norm Smith (Melbourne 1948) and Alex Jesaulenko (Carlton 1979) would also leave championship-winning teams.
Barassi went on to win two premierships with Carlton as coach after he left Melbourne, while others who left the top flight often failed to achieve much success afterward.
1999 North Melbourne Premiership Cameron Mooney is the only player since the 1920s to win a premiership as a player immediately after leaving the eventual winners.
Following his time at Kardinia Park prior to the 2000 season, Mooney would feature in Geelong’s premierships in 2007 and 2009 to finish his career as a three-time premiership player.
Mooney is the only player since Tom Fitzmaurice, who became the Bomber in 1924, to achieve success elsewhere after leaving the top flight in the same season.
Fitzmaurice will win his third consecutive flag in his first year with Geelong after winning two consecutive premierships with Essendon before leaving.
The trend doesn’t look good for Ginnivan, despite the exciting path Hawthorn plans to follow under senior coach Sam Mitchell in the coming years.
Ellis could also look to end the drought, with his top mentor, Damien Hardwick, heading to Queensland to help lead the Suns to their first final appearance.
