Collingwood forward Jack Ginnivan has spoken about the impact his sudden rise into the spotlight this season off the back of media and fan attention.
The Magpie cult hero has been the name on everyone's lips since Collingwood's win over St Kilda in Round 1 with his unique personality on show. The fans in the black and white have taken to Ginnivan incredibly and he to them.
However, opposition fans and some in the media haven't taken as kindly to the small forward. From some light-hearted banter on a go-pro in the opening Round win to "shooshing" Essendon fans on ANZAC Day, Ginnivan's antics have drawn the ire of many who haven't been shy in sharing their opinion on the creative forward.
Speaking on the "Goes Alright" podcast, Ginnivan told hosts Caden McDonald and Connor Rogers that the media scrutiny had an impact on him.
"I love Kane Cornes now," Ginnivan said.
"At the start you don't even know what you're doing. You've played six games, you've been handed a go-pro and you're just living in the moment, you're 19 and you say 'light work' and you don't really think that it's going to be that big of an issue until it comes up."
He went on to say that the constant scrutiny and pressure forced him to avoid consuming too much media and to teach those close to him that it isn't always as easy as it seems when playing at the elite level.
"I'm a phone addict. I used to love going through articles," he said.
"I was a massive footy "nuff" before I got drafted. I had to get off my phone a little bit more than I would have liked. At the start it's cool, you're in the media but my friends learning it's not as simple as getting attention. It actually has affects on your mental health.
"It's been a bit of a challenge at the start and I tried to let my footy do the talking and once you're playing good footy nobody can knock you."
The antagonistic small forward said he enjoys the challenge of annoying the opposition and creating opportunities out of it.
Ginnivan has recently drawn the ire of fans and opposition players for his ability to draw head high free kicks. A tactic made famous by Joel Selwood has become common practice for Ginnivan who says he sees no issue with the technique.
"I love getting under people's skin," he laughed.
"It's sort of what makes the game enjoyable I feel. My favourite player before I got drafted was Toby Greene. Stuff like that it really lifts the team up as well I feel.
"I just learnt it in under 15's, I feel like it's just a great way to kick a goal. I reckon I've kicked ten goals from free kicks or something like that."
