Jack Ginnivan in action against the Swans on Sunday.Credit:AFL Photos
“The stigma’s changed a little bit,even speaking to Mum yesterday,this week’s sort of died down a little bit,which has been good. But it’s definitely a weird experience,this whole year,” the 19-year-old said prior to round 21 on theBall Magnets podcast with Hawthorn’s Tom Mitchell.
“It’s been a little bit of a hard experience,I guess,like I don’t want to throw mental health around lightly because it definitely has had an effect on me.”
During Collingwood’s clash with Sydney on Sunday,Ginnivan was booed when he appeared on the big screens from the bench after being subbed out with a hamstring injury. He smiled as the boos from the 44,000 crowd increased.
Collingwood star Taylor Adams,currently sidelined by a groin injury,labelled those booing Ginnivan as “grubs” via social media,saying “imagine booing an injured player”.
Ginnivan said he has become the “poster boy for tackles” after starting the year with nobody really knowing who he was,with the attention taking its toll.
“A couple of weeks ago,I went home and just sort of had a few days off because I was so emotionally and mentally drained from everything that’s happened. And footy was becoming sort of a chore,I guess,” he told Mitchell.