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AFL Commentator Kane Cornes Responds to North Melbourne Media Ban
Controversial AFL commentator Kane Cornes has addressed the recent ban imposed by North Melbourne, triggered by what the club deemed as “personal and vindictive attacks” aimed at their young player, Harry Sheezel. This controversy arose ahead of North Melbourne’s scheduled game against Essendon.
The Ban and the Initial Comments
The Channel 7 commentator was initially slated to conduct a pre-game interview with North Melbourne’s senior coach, Alastair Clarkson. Cornes expressed that it was “strange” that Clarkson would decline an interview with him, further revealing the club’s decision to restrict all media opportunities involving him.
The ban followed Cornes’ critical assessment of Sheezel’s performance during North Melbourne’s narrow defeat to Port Adelaide. Cornes highlighted that while the young draftee had a significant number of possessions, his impact was limited, often resulting in pressured kicks into the air known as tactics or plays that are deemed ineffective.
‘Sheezey Ball’ and Backlash
Cornes even coined the term “‘Sheezey Ball”‘ to describe what he saw as an unproductive style of play which would be described as meaningless, however, his comments were met with disapproval. Dale Thomas criticized Cornes’ remarks as “ridiculous”.
Cornes’ Response
Addressing the situation on Instagram, Cornes explained:
- He received a call informing him that his planned interview with Alastair Clarkson was cancelled due to the recent remarks made regarding Harry Sheezel.
- He acknowledged that North Melbourne believed his comments suggested Sheezel was “stat-padding,” accumulating possessions in non-critical areas of the ground.
- Cornes questioned Clarkson’s reluctance to address these concerns, along with broader issues regarding North Melbourne’s defensive efforts.
Viney’s Scathing Criticism
The Kangaroos’ general manager of football, Todd Viney, strongly criticized Cornes, stating he wasn’t anticipating an apology. He indicated that Cornes would be excluded from club engagements until respectful dialogue was established around those who are a part of the North Melbourne team.
Todd Viney said on Wednesday, addressing the situation stating, “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 have been unwarranted.”
Viney Continued
He additionally offered:
- His belief that Cornes’ commentary, particularly regarding Jy Simpkin and Harry Sheezel, crossed the line and constituted inappropriate, targeted, bullying behavior.
- The club’s commitment to protecting its players from personal attacks, while remaining open to balanced critiques of on-field performances, they must look after the people and the players.
- That the club would be engaging him in any of his media channels until there was a sense of respectful conversation from Kane amongst the participants.
Sheezel’s Perspective
Despite the criticism, Harry Sheezel, while acknowledging that Cornes might have “overstepped the mark,” conceded that he needs to be more effective with the football. He is currently averaging a striking 29.7 disposals per game, and is considered to be a top performer.
Sheezel offered to SEN Radio this week the following response, “To be honest, Kane is entitled to his opinion at the end of the day, it’s his role in the media. I can’t control that. Maybe it overstepped the boundary a bit, the club has supported me really well. End of the day I’m an AFL footballer and I’ve signed up for the scrutiny that comes with it.”
Moving Forward – Sheezel Aims Focus on Football
Sheezel expressed his desire to move past the controversy and focus on improving his game. He acknowledged that media scrutiny is part of being an AFL player and added that the media have every right to their opinion but at the end of the day we’re all human beings.
Sheezel concluded that he had no bad blood with Kane, and that Kane is entitled to his opinion, as it is his role. Sheezel added to the issue by saying that he wanted to sweep it all under the rug.