Ginnivan ventured to the London Tavern in Richmond on Thursday night to watch the qualifying final between Port Adelaide and Geelong.
His appearance raised some eyebrows, especially after the energetic forward came under fire for going to the races at Moonee Valley the night before Collingwood's grand final.
But Ginnivan had the last laugh, kicking the sealer in Hawthorn's first finals win since 2015.
After slotting the goal, Ginnivan mimicked sculling a drink in a celebration only he could get away with.
Ginnivan and fellow electric forward Nick Watson soaked up the victory, posing for photos with fans.
Watson even donned a wizard's hat, in reference to his nickname, given to him by supporters.
The 21-year-old played up to the social media storm ahead of the Hawks' sudden-death clash with the Western Bulldogs, responding to a post on X with a photo of a cup of tea and a candle on Thursday night.
💤 — Jack Ginnivan (@GinnivanJack) pic.twitter.com/Ufs4blI2c9September 5, 2024
"Sam (Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell) has utter trust in me and I texted him before I went to the pub ... I just had a few waters with my mates and I was home by halftime," he told the Seven Network on Friday night when arriving at the MCG.
"Pretty cruisy from Sam's end and everyone's end."
Mitchell has been praised for allowing his young Hawks to show personality and flair through on-field celebrations, and on social media.
"You guys love to cover everything Jack Ginnivan does," Mitchell said post-game.
"We know how he plays, we know he celebrates, we know how he goes about it and I don't think there's any surprises in anything Jack does.
"I actually thought he was enormously influential in the second quarter ... I thought he was a big part of getting the game back on our terms.
"I didn't ask, I probably should have, but I wonder how many of our players went out for dinner to a public place.
"I think most of us have watched footy at a public venue for the majority of the year ... he played well and lives how he lives and I knew about it."
Mitchell admitted he didn't know Ginnivan was going to pull off the celebration he did, saying he enjoyed others more.
Hawthorn teammate Jack Frost laughed off the criticism of Ginnivan as a "bit ridiculous".
"I was walking back to the goal square (after Ginnivan's celebration) laughing watching it on the screen," Frost told AAP.
"If he wants to have a quiet dinner with a few friends, it doesn't bother me at all."
7°C