Captains divided on Ginni sledge; was ban big enough for Giants footy boss? – AFL360 Talking Pts

Two AFL captains have revealed their thoughts on the Jack Ginnivan social media sledge incident this week.

Meanwhile, Giants footy boss Jason McCartney was handed a hefty fine – but was it enough?

Plus, the young Swans match-winning performance amid family grief in AFL 360 Talking Points!

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‘TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE’: GIANTS FOOTY BOSS COPS HEFTY FINE

GWS Giants footy boss Jason McCartney was handed a $20,000 fine for an incident involving Sydney small forward Tom Papley in last week’s qualifying final.

The pair briefly made contact with one another as tempers flared at the first break.

Papley and McCartney exchanged words before heading off to their respective huddles.

“You knew in real time that this was totally unacceptable… you know historically the AFL hates this look,” AFL360 co-host Gerard Whateley said on Tuesday.

It is the second time McCartney has copped a heavy fine from the AFL after being penalised three years ago for a verbal tirade directed towards an umpire at half-time.

“Absolutely (they got it right) … McCartney’s not a child, he’s not a teenage idiot, he’s an experienced football person, he knows you can’t be interacting with opposition players,” AFL360 co-host and Herald Sun Chief football reporter Mark Robinson added.

“He would’ve known straight away ‘I’m in trouble here’ and $20,000 is a decent whack, I don’t think it deserves much more,” Robinson said.

But Whateley would’ve gone further and banned him from entering the field of play for the rest of the finals series.

“I would’ve banned him from the arena for the rest of the finals… nothing but the dugout for you,” Whateley said.

“I think that would be going over the top, but I can understand why you’d be doing it,” Robinson replied.

Robinson said the incident was exactly what the AFL wanted to stamp out.

“What the AFL has done really successfully over the last couple of decades is getting rid of violence in our game. Part of getting rid of violence is getting rid of the incidents that provoke violence and that sort of stuff where players are already scuffling doesn’t need club officials in there.”

Did the AFL make the right call to fine McCartney or should he be banned from the arena for the rest of the finals series?

CAPTAINS COMMENT ON CHEEKY GINNI SLEDGE

Jack Ginnivan has lived in the headlines this AFL season, from his antics against former side Collingwood to his pre-match pub feed the night before the elimination final.

His latest effort was a cheeky response to former Pies teammate Brodie Grundy’s Instagram post celebrating his side’s qualifying final win over the Giants, with the Hawks forward writing: “see you in 14 days”.

Rival captains Toby Greene and Lachie Neale revealed their thoughts on the incident as senior figures in the game.

“It’s a tough one, I know that Jack played with Brodie so there’s a personal relationship there. I wouldn’t comment on social media and do that, it would probably be a cheeky text on the side or something if you wanted to go down that path,” Neale told AFL360.

“How would I handle it? I’d probably share my experience but at the same time we’ve got guys like Kai Lohmann and Logan Morris that bring so much energy to our team and they express themselves in different ways to what I do as a 30+ year old now. At the same time, you have got to let them go and express their personalities how they wish, if it makes them play better and play good footy good luck to them,” he said.

Giants skipper Greene had a bit of a different perspective to the older head Neale.

“I’m a little bit different, if you can guarantee me you’re going to do everything to win on the weekend I don’t really care what you say on Instagram, go ahead and express yourself if you want,” he said.

“Tom Green probably does that a little bit along those lines, he’s pretty prevalent on social media and he’s quite witty and funny but he also trains bloody hard and does everything he can to win on the weekend.

“You’re right in saying it’ the younger generation and how they operate – I personally wouldn’t do it; I’d say it on the field but not off the field.”

Was Jack Ginnivan out of line with this week’s social media comments?

‘SPECIAL’ SWAN STANDS UP AMID PERSONAL TOLL

Swans youngster Braeden Campbell’s epic qualifying final last term came amid significant family grief.

Campbell lost his grandfather during the week but put in a performance his grandfather would’ve been extremely proud of as a match-winner after being subbed into the game late in the third term.

“Braeden Campbell to do what he did in the last quarter was so special,” teammate Errol Gulden told AFL360.

“He was pretty shattered during the week; I think it was two days before the game when his Pop passed away but before that he’d had a tough week on the track carrying a bit of a niggle. He wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to get through a whole game, in the end he came on as a sub and that was the best quarter of footy he’s ever played in his life,” Gulden said.

“To play on pure emotion the way he did, the fingernails he got in, not just the big marks and the goal he kicked, but the little turnovers he got as well were unbelievable.”

Campbell had nine disposals, three marks and a goal after being activated late in the third term and was crucial in willing his side over the line.

Captain Callum Mills pulled his team together post-match on the field, with Gulden revealing it was to praise the efforts of young Campbell.

“To have that moment with him where Callum Mills singled him out and said ‘mate, that could be one of the best quarters we see’, that was really special for him,” Gulden said.

“His sister runs water for us and they had a nice embrace after the game when he was on the field so it was nice they had that moment. I’m sure his family is so proud of him as we all are, for him to go through what he did and then come out and pretty much win us the game, it was pretty special.”