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Second club bans Cornes
By Andrew Wu
North Melbourne are not the only club that has placed a media ban on Kane Cornes. The outspoken pundit has also been barred from the Western Bulldogs’ rooms.
A defiant Cornes has said he will not change his approach to the job despite being blacklisted by the Kangaroos this week.
Former Port Adelaide player and pundit Kane Cornes (right). Alastair Clarkson and the Kangaroos.Credit: The Age/Getty Images
North’s move has created a juicy subplot to the club’s clash with Essendon, which is being broadcast by Cornes’s employer Channel Seven.
Seven had their request for Cornes to take part in an interview with North coach Alastair Clarkson rejected by the Kangaroos over comments he had made that the club deemed to be “personal and vindictive” attacks towards their players and staff.
North have said they will also bar Cornes from interviewing any of their people on the numerous shows he appears on.
It comes at a time when the Bulldogs have also taken action against Cornes, who said in February coach Luke Beveridge would not see out the season at Whitten Oval.
“These things come in ebbs and flows, don’t they?” Cornes said on SEN’s Sportsday show. “The Western Bulldogs wouldn’t have me in their change rooms the other night so this isn’t new.”
The Bulldogs declined to comment.
Cornes has used his numerous media platforms to double down on his hard stance against the Kangaroos, saying the club’s strategy was “weak”.
“It’s a missed opportunity,” Cornes said. “It doesn’t really matter to me. It doesn’t really hinder me doing my job one little bit. It doesn’t hinder Channel Seven covering the games one little bit.
“It was a good opportunity for North Melbourne in one of their only primetime games for the year to be able to stand up to what they’re calling bullying, which is laughable really to use that word from Todd [Viney].
“I think they’ve been poorly led, and poorly advised. It’s their change rooms. They’ve got every right to let whoever they want into their change rooms. I’ve got no issue with them backing up and standing up for their player, I just think it’s a weak strategy that they’ve gone with.”
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Good afternoon
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Essendon v North Melbourne match. We’re kicking things off a little earlier than usual today, to keep you up to date with all the footy news bubbling away ahead of tonight’s match.
Stay tuned for teams updates from 6.20pm AEST, news from around the various coach’s press conferences this afternoon and of course for all the updates during tonight’s clash.
