‘I knew exactly what it meant’: Why the Hawks stewed over a pair of aeroplane wings​on April 10, 2025 at 9:33 am

Hawks young gun Watson didn’t dodge the questions he knew were coming on Thursday, hinting at the animosity between the teams.

“It sits in the tummy,” Watson said when asked about his recollections of Port’s celebrations.

“Everyone knows what happened last year, and it definitely sits there.

“We’ll have a bit more anger going into this week.”

Asked if he heard exactly what veteran coach Hinkley said as the two teams came face to face after the final siren last September, Watson said: “I didn’t hear much, to be honest. [But] I saw him do the aeroplane thing and I knew exactly what it meant.”

In the countdown to the semi-final clash, Ginnivan took to Instagram to comment on a post by former Collingwood teammate Brodie Grundy after Sydney’s qualifying final win, which meant the Swans had earned the right to host a preliminary final against either Port or Hawthorn.

Swans ruckman Grundy posted a series of selfies with teammates afterwards, to which Ginnivan replied: “See u in 14 days”.

Port clearly felt the provocative young Hawk was getting ahead of himself. Hinkley flapped his arms, an apparent reference to the fact that Ginnivan had been grounded, instead.

“It definitely set Sicily off,” said Watson, who was promoting National Greyhound Adoption Month.

Just as the Hawks’ skipper was helping to hoist 300-gamer Luke Breust as they prepared to leave the ground, a distracted Sicily continued to throw barbs back at Port and Hinkley.

“You have been a f***ing nowhere club for eight years,” Sicily was reported to have said.

Sicily, whose long shot for goal had hit the post in the final stages, was unrepentant for his part in the exchange following day. “My duty as a leader is I’ll always have my teammates’ back, and I’ll stick up for them, regardless of who’s in the right and who’s in the wrong,” he said at the time.

The AFL whack

Hinkley has attracted considerable sympathy for his $20,000 fine, with the AFL at pains to say the penalty was applied to act as a “deterrent”. But comparisons have been made to the behaviour of Collingwood coach Craig McRae for his words to an opposition player and brief clash with GWS Giants coach Adam Kingsley on the boundary line during the AFL’s opening round.

McRae was given an official caution by the league and that was the end of the matter.

Quizzed about the two cases recently, AFL CEO Andrew Dillon said there was no real comparison. McRae was less demonstrative and didn’t swear, Dillon said.

“No swearing. It was during the game …. not as demonstrative,” Dillon said of McRae exchange near Giant Toby Bedford, in comparison to the Hinkley case.

The AFL has repeatedly pointed to Hinkley’s stature in the game, who is in his 13th season as senior coach at Alberton, a stint in South Australia that has seen Port fall at the preliminary finals hurdle four times.

What they’re saying now

Hinkley sidestepped suggestions the Gather Round fixturing was hypocritical by the AFL. He said it was “not a spot I need to go”.

In any case, the 58-year-old insisted his main focus was on getting Port’s season back on track after a 1-3 start.

“We need to address our position currently, and our position means we need to do everything we can to win this game of football,” Hinkley said on Wednesday.

“That’s where we’ll spend our time and it just so happens that Hawthorn are our opponent and it’s Gather Round.

“It’s a pretty big build-up, which we appreciate, but the reality is it’s bigger for us in the sense that our season needs to get back into some better shape.”

Sicily, who shot back at Hinkley with venom last September, hasn’t been surprised by the scheduling.

“I actually laughed at one of the comments earlier, when that was scheduled, that they should refund Kenny’s money.

“I’m not sure they’ll do that.”

Speaking during the club’s bye, the defender and occasional forward was peppered with questions about the Port game.

He was asked what Hawthorn had taken out of their pulsating clash against the Power.

“Don’t take a quarter-and-a-half to kick a goal – get a better start,” Siciy said.

“I’m just really rapt with how we went last year, but not rapt enough.”

As for Ginnivan’s part in the melodrama, he insisted there was no added emotion around the re-match.

At the time, Sicily defended the 2023 Collingwood premiership player for his part in provoking the Power.

“Those things are better off done behind closed doors,” Sicily said of the Hinkley moment. “We love Jack, we love what he brings. He’s a bit of a smart alec.”

Ginnivan looks likely to have a special goal celebration up his sleeve.

“It’s pretty obvious that the AFL put it last [in Gather Round], and I’m sure they are going to use the game to promote the game as much as possible. But for us, it’s another game,” he told Nine’s Gather Round in the Barossa program on Tuesday night.

During the off-season he was more expansive. “I think it’s a bit of theatre … the only thing is I never want to upset the team … or put more pressure on the team,” Ginnivan told the Ausmerican Aces podcast.

“So even though I don’t care, it might have upset a few players and put more pressure on them. That was the only awkward thing, I guess – to put the team in that position.”

Asked this week if an aeroplane celebration could come out on Sunday night, Ginnivan kept fans guessing.

“Oh, we’ll have to wait to see if I kick one, but I’m sure I’m going to have it in the back pocket,” he said.

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