Ginnivan ventured to the London Tavern in Richmond on Thursday night to watch the qualifying final between Port Adelaide and Geelong.
His appearance raised some eyebrows, especially after energetic forward came under fire for going to the races at Moonee Valley the night before Collingwood's grand final.
But Ginnivan had the last laugh, kicking the sealer in Hawthorn's first finals win since 2015.
After slotting the goal, Ginnivan mimicked sculling a drink in a celebration only he could get away with.
The 21-year-old played up to the social media storm ahead of the Hawks' sudden-death clash with the Western Bulldogs, responding to a post on X with a photo of a cup of tea and a candle on Thursday night.
💤 pic.twitter.com/Ufs4blI2c9— Jack Ginnivan (@GinnivanJack) September 5, 2024
"Sam (Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell) has utter trust in me and I texted him before I went to the pub ... I just had a few waters with my mates and I was home by halftime," he told the Seven Network on Friday night when arriving at the MCG.
"Pretty cruisy from Sam's end and everyone's end."
Mitchell has been praised for allowing his young Hawks to show personality on flair through on-field celebrations, and on social media.
"I didn't (go out for dinner the night before games) but it's not unusual for him or many others," Mitchell told Fox Footy before the match.
"Half the team probably went out for dinner last night.
"He's obviously very recognisable.
"There's a lot of media and only half the teams, or less than that, that are being followed now.
"Obviously it becomes a story and the boys had a bit of a laugh about it before, so it's not something that's too big in our minds."
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