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North Melbourne have refused a Channel 7 interview request for coach Alastair Clarkson from Kane Cornes, in response to the controversial AFL pundit’s ‘vindictive, bullying’ attacks on the club.
A long-term critic of the Kangaroos, Cornes took aim at captain Jy Simpkin and young star Harry Sheezel in the wake of their loss to Port Adelaide, accusing Sheezel of gathering cheap disposals at half-back and criticising Simpkin for being ‘on the lip’ throughout the match.
“The way that he carried on on the weekend, for a player that’s won 16 games in six years … now, I’m led to believe he was extremely vocal and mouthing off to the likes you just wouldn’t see from a very, very poor football team,” Cornes said of Simpkin on Seven’s The Agenda Setters.
“He was on the lip all day – now this is, once again, a captain who can’t even play in his own midfield, playing at half-forward.”
Cornes also said Sheezel was ‘on Sheezy street’ with the impact of his disposals.
“Forget stat-padding. He is getting ‘the Sheezys.’ He is not on Arden St, he is on Sheezy St,” he said.
“30 touches, one score involvement. Now he may be the least of their problems, but I’m telling you, Clarko [coach Alastair Clarkson] has to coach this really hard.
“Get him in the front half of the ground and make his disposals more damaging.”
The Kangaroos’ response was scathing, with Clarkson and football general manager Todd Viney accusing Cornes of having a personal agenda against the club, and revealing they had denied Seven an interview request for Clarkson from Cornes and former great Luke Hodge.
“We received a request from Channel 7 for Kane Cornes and Luke Hodge to come and do an interview with our coach,” Viney said.
“On the back of some commentary that we feel over my short time here, there’s been some real personal attacks on the club, vindictive attacks that we feel that have been unwarranted.
“We understand the role of the media and our job to work with the media to promote our game and to inform our members on stuff that’s going on. ]But] we believe some of the commentary from Kane, particularly early this week with some of our players, Jy Simpkin and Harry Sheezel, overstepped the line.
“This was inappropriate, targeted, vindictive bullying behaviour that we as a club won’t stand for. We’ll look after our people and we won’t be bullied.”
“We’re open to balanced critique of our performances but when it starts to overstep the line and become personal it’s my responsibility and the club’s responsibility to look after our people.
“Therefore Channel Seven, Luke Hodge and whoever they’d like to present to have a conversation with Clarko is still open, but until we feel like there’s a more respectful conversation and dialogue from Kane around our people and club we won’t be engaging with him on any of his media channels.”
Clarkson and the Kangaroos have come in for criticism amid another difficult start to the year, sitting 17th on the ladder with a 1-6 record.
Cornes will be on commentary duties for Seven for the Roos’ clash with Essendon on Thursday night.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has decried the AFL and VFL’s Tribunal systems as ‘broken’ after young gun Alix Tauru copped a lengthy suspension for an incident in the latter competition.
Tauru was handed a four-match ban for a heavy bump on Brisbane player Curtis McCarthy; however, due to conflicting byes for the Saints and VFL affiliate Sandringham, and the rule that states the ban must be served at both AFL and VFL level, means he cannot play football for the club for six weeks.
Lyon said he was ‘incredibly disappointed’ with the extended ban, comparing it to Richmond’s Noah Balta receiving only a four-match ban for an assault in NSW over the summer.
“We’re incredibly disappointed. I am really frustrated. It’s a broken system,” he said.
“If you think the penalty is four weeks, that’s OK, but they know we’ve got a bye and then at the end of that there’s another bye.
“How the Tribunal doesn’t take into consideration that it’s six weeks – Noah Balta got four weeks stand down for an assault off the field, with respect.
“We’ve got a kid that concussed a player, it’s a six-week penalty, there’s just no consideration.
“As Paul Roos would say, ‘Common sense is commonly uncommon’.
“The kid has been suspended for four and he’ll miss six. How do you reckon his mental health is going at the minute? And mine.”
Lyon added that a breakaway AFL reserves competition away from the VFL is a potential consequence of continued issues such as Tauru’s ban.
St Kilda are seen as all but certain to end their partnership with Sandringham and attempt to create a VFL program of their own, which the majority of rival clubs in Victoria, NSW and Queensland do.
“No wonder AFL clubs talk ‘let’s have a breakaway group from a 22-team competition with four or five clubs and play each other’,” he said.
“It’s not worth the risk and there’s no recompense, consideration or adjustment for the reality of a misaligned fixture of a feeder competition to the AFL – I am absolutely filthy.
Carlton will be without stars Jack Silvagni and Zac Williams for their AFL clash with Adelaide, while Collingwood will welcome back captain Darcy Moore against Geelong.
Silvagni underwent surgery after fracturing his hand in an exchange with Patrick Dangerfield in the first quarter of the Blues’ round-seven win over the Cats.
It is hoped the defender will spend just one week on the sidelines, but he could miss two games.
Blues forward Williams has been ruled out for two weeks with a calf strain.
He suffered the injury after kicking a goal in the first quarter against Geelong.
Moore returns for the Magpies after vertigo symptoms related to an inner-ear issue ruled him out of last week’s Anzac Day win over Essendon.
He is available for selection, while teammate Lachie Schultz faces a test following a hamstring injury.
Meanwhile, Adelaide are set to regain forward Riley Thilthorpe against Carlton, but they have lost defender Nick Murray for at least four weeks to knee surgery.
Thilthorpe has been cleared to play in Saturday’s match after seemingly suffering a compound finger fracture in their 18-point loss to Fremantle on Friday.
His bone had pierced the skin, but the Crows confirmed on Tuesday that Thilthorpe had suffered a minor fracture.
Thilthorpe is expected to be joined in the forward line by Darcy Fogarty (shoulder), while Murray will require an arthroscopy on his troublesome knee.
Murray has continued to experience discomfort after jarring his knee at training earlier in the season, with scans proving inconclusive.
The defender could spend four to six weeks recovering after the surgery.
Luckless Sydney forward Logan McDonald could also go under the knife after suffering a stress fracture in his fibula, having already recovered from ankle surgery.
Swans defender Sam Wicks (calf) is in the frame to play in the Sydney derby, but skipper Callum Mills (foot) remains a week-to-week assessment as the club waits on scans regarding Ben Paton’s calf strain.
Fremantle ruck Luke Jackson (hamstring), St Kilda’s Mattaes Phillipou (leg), North Melbourne defenders Zac Fisher (hamstring) and Matt Whitlock (ankle), and Melbourne duo Jake Melksham (leg) and Daniel Turner (concussion) are all available for selection.
Hawthorn have lost defenders Karl Amon and Jack Scrimshaw to concussion, while Essendon pair Matt Gueli (hamstring) and Nik Cox (calf) will make their return to football via the VFL.
Paul Guerra’s start as Melbourne chief executive could be delayed until September, despite the AFL club saying he would “hit the ground running”.
The Demons have confirmed that Guerra, the current CEO at the Victoria Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), will be their new permanent chief executive.
But Melbourne will host the World Chamber Congress from September 2-4 and Guerra would like to stay on until that major international business forum.
David Chippindall has been the Demons’ interim chief executive since Gary Pert left the role in September.
“Certainly I want to be around for the World Chamber Congress, but let’s let those conversations play out,” Guerra said on Tuesday.
“Until then we have a really capable CEO in David holding the fort and we have an experienced chair in Brad Green as the president as well.
“The club has leadership in place, it will do what it needs to do. As soon as I’m able to, I will be across in a full-time capacity.”
It is also unclear whether Guerra will stay on the Racing Victoria board. “Again, all that is to be worked through,” he said.
Guerra’s appointment nevertheless is another sign of greater stability at Melbourne, after several years of problems on and off the field.
Melbourne Demons coach Simon Goodwin. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
“Paul will hit the ground running and members will have opportunities to hear directly from him very soon,” the Demons said in a statement.
Guerra said he took a phone call a month ago that led to his appointment.
He said he had spoken with Simon Goodwin and was asked if the coach remains the man for the job.
“It was a great conversation. You have to respect the fact that Simon is a premiership coach, he’s a premiership player as well,” Guerra said.
“This is a blip in time, where the footy club is at.
“They’re conversations I will have in time with the board and Simon himself. But we need to respect Simon and the job he’s done at the football club, because it’s been enormous.”
Guerra, the VCCI chief executive since 2020, was a prominent public figure during Victoria’s extended COVID-19 lockdown and ongoing economic recovery.
“Certainly the conversations I had with the board left me comfortable that Melbourne is the right football club for me to lead,” he said.
Melbourne have struggled since their drought-breaking 2021 premiership and failed to make the finals last season.
There has been a succession of dramas, including a major rift with former president Glen Bartlett and a drugs ban for player Joel Smith.
After a messy trade period late last year when their futures were unclear, Demons stars Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver stayed at the club.
Pert resigned as chief executive in late October, a month after club president Kate Roffey stood down.
Former Melbourne Cricket Club president Steven Smith will succeed Green, Roffey’s replacement, later this year.
After a 0-5 start to this season, the Demons have won their past two games.
with AAP
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