STRENGTHS:

+ Character
+ Clean hands
+ Competitiveness
+ Contested work
+ Versatility
+ Size

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Kicking
- X-Factor

Ginbey possesses many of the traits that recruiters would be looking for in the modern game. He is a big, powerful athlete with a readymade frame ready to attack the rigours of senior football. At 189cm, he has the size to really impose himself physically against his peers and as a result, Ginbey is able to win a lot of contested ball at the coalface. He also has a good level of breakaway speed from stoppage, akin to that of Jack Crisp from Collingwood, and covers the ground well on the spread to demonstrate he is not a one-paced midfielder despite his size.

Perhaps the biggest strength of Ginbey’s game is his ability to play across multiple roles. In his bottom-age year, he plied his trade as a lockdown defender for school and club and impressed with his capacity to curtail dangerous opponents, both tall and small. This ability to be accountable and disciplined held him in good stead and allowed him to play a role in East Perth’s League side this year, where he played down back and performed steadily, often taking care of his direct opponent with minimal fuss. This is a trait that distinguishes him from other highly touted prospects who are perhaps not as defensively sound at this stage of their career.

But then even more impressively, Ginbey showed he could add another string to his bow when thrown into the midfield for Western Australia. His streak of games in the state championships really saw him catch the eye of recruiters, where he showed he could go into the engine room and have an impact. At the carnival, Ginbey displayed his clean hands at ground level, and combining that with his booming left-foot kick makes him a very effective player at clearance. He also has considerable core strength for a player of his age and a good ability to stand strong in tackles to distribute the ball while withstanding pressure.

Ginbey’s kicking under pressure remains an area he could look to tidy up. He has a tendency to bomb the ball when he receives it out of a stoppage and while this can be effective in gaining meterage for his side, there are times where he can be more composed when going by foot. While his kicking from a static situation is certainly competent, it is another factor he could enhance to elevate himself to an elite level. While as much as a compliment as it is a critique, Ginbey is your typical ‘meat and potatoes’ footballer who is reliable and consistent, but perhaps does not have the mercurial match-winning ability that some others at the pointy end of the draft have.

In terms of character, Ginbey appears to fit the bill and his ability to play multiple roles and be open to playing anywhere on the ground is a testament to his coachabillity as a young player. He also captained Wesley College at PSA level this season and leads from the front with his vigorous attack on the football in every game he plays.