THERE is the snap, the skidder and the soccer. There's the flying shot, the flashy gather and the free kick. In the book of How To Kick Goals Like Jack Ginnivan, there are many pages – with more being filled by the week.
In one season, Ginnivan has gone from relative unknown to one of the AFL's most recognised players. But forget the bleached hair and the TikToks and the celebrations and the rule change and the outrage of a GoPro, Ginnivan has been exceptionally good at finding ways to kick goals.
His 39 goals for Collingwood this season have been instrumental in the Magpies' ascent to this week's preliminary final, with Ginnivan rising from the rookie list to be a central player in Collingwood's flag hopes. But how does he kick them? AFL.com.au traced through every one of his goals in 2022 to see the many strands of his forward art.
Champion Data shows his source of goals have been broken down into four categories: free kicks (10 goals and three behinds), general play (12.10), marks (15.6) and 50-metre penalties (2.0).
But within that, there are many different types, too, with set shots accounting for 26 goals and seven behinds this season for the 19-year-old, and four missed shots that didn't register a score.
He has kicked eight snaps in general play and three on-the-run goals, and has marked and then played on to kick a goal once (you might remember it as the one against Fremantle when he celebrated with the crowd at Optus Stadium in round 10 before booting the ball through from the goal line). Ginnivan's off-the-ground kick in the opening moments of last week's semi-final against Fremantle was his first soccer goal of the year.
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Where 10 of his first 21 goals this year came via free kicks – most through high contact but a number via being held or pushed in the back – Ginnivan has used more methods since mid-season when the AFL tightened its high tackle free kicks. Of his past 18 goals, only two have come from free kicks and both were clearly there to be paid.
Ginnivan's go-to is the right foot snap from a set shot. If on any angle in the left half of the forward 50, Ginnivan enjoys going around his body rather than the conventional straight drop-punt kick. He has kicked 10 of his goals in this manner.
He's nearly just as good on his left, confounding opponents by being able to flick onto his non-preferred foot when trapped on his right side. His quick gather and drop of the ball last week against Fremantle onto his left side to squeeze through his second goal was perfect front-and-centre roving from a small forward.
Ginnivan has kicked 21 goals from within 30 metres of goal this year, earning him a reputation as a close-to-goal specialist, but he has also proven to have power in his kicking too. His first goal of the season – then as a long brown-haired headband-wearing newcomer – came after slotting a roved ball from 45 metres, while he has had three set-shot goals from beyond 50 metres and kicked two of them.
Jack Ginnivan's shot map to SF, 2022
In an unconventional Collingwood forward line, the Magpies' No.33 occasionally plays as a mini full-forward, breaking away from his opponent on the lead and finding space.
His variance of goalkicking options is seen in his past 10 goals. Within those, he has had a mark and straight set shot, a front-and-centre crumb and left-foot kick, an off-the-ground boot, a handball receive and on-the-run left-foot kick, a mark and set shot from longer distance, a free kick after being at the drop of the ball, a lead, mark and set-shot snap, a handball and snap and a loose ball gather and across-the-body kick. Opportunistic sells short his planning and thinking for his next goal chance.
Ginnivan is second in the Pies' goalkicking this year behind Brody Mihocek (40 goals) and sits among the competition's elite for small forwards this year as well – only behind Brisbane's Charlie Cameron (53 goals), Geelong's Tyson Stengle (46), Melbourne's Kysaiah Pickett (41) and Hawthorn's Luke Breust (40) for most goals. And you suspect there's more to come.
