AFL commentator Kane Cornes has slammed the “nerve” of Essendon players who reportedly want Ross Lyon as their new coach, given what they produced this season under the now sacked Ben Rutten.
Reports emerged on Tuesday that a “senior group of players” want Lyon to take over the reins as they want a “strong hand” and someone to “take the bull by the horns”.
But speaking on SEN SA on Wednesday, Cornes said it was “ridiculous” that the players – more than 30 who are currently overseas on a footy trip to Ibiza – wanted to select the new coach.
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“Who would listen to them?” he said.
“Who would take a group of Essendon players seriously – who on the back of one of the most disastrous years from any club ever, and on the back of a group of players who just didn’t want to do anything when they didn’t have the footy in their hands and arguably one of the most selfish groups … I’m not saying they’re selfish people, but football-selfish players, who only really work when they know they can get a touch. They don’t work to get the footy back off the opposition. Worst defensive team in the whole of the competition.
“They get their coach sacked, act like they’re really sad about it, but then duck off on a footy trip.
“They’ve then had the nerve to suggest who the club’s coach should next be. Have they made that call from a nightclub on Skype in Ibiza?
“Is that where they’ve sent the message through to the club that they want Ross Lyon coaching?
“Just do not listen to a thing that those Essendon players have said, particularly if it’s been on a Skype call from a nightclub on the other side of the world where they’re lapping it up, doing God knows what, when their team is absolutely on its knees.”
Cornes doubled down on his opinion of the footy trip in general, after his comments on Sunday drew criticism from former footy players.
He also clarified that the players did not travel to Spain for a wedding, as initially reported last week.
“I can tell you that Essendon aren’t happy about this footy trip. I was criticised strongly for that and I knew that would happen, that would be the obvious and popular thing to do, would be to criticise me about a lack of fun and all of that with this footy trip,” he said.
“But 35 players went on a footy trip, the club’s not happy about it. It’s a four-day trip, there isn’t a wedding as some people have said, and they’ve gone off as a group together on the back of the season that they have produced and the club isn’t happy.
“(The club has) looked at what other players are doing, I mentioned Travis Boak going overseas and trying to get themselves better.
“There’s nothing (the club) can do about it.
“The players are on leave and the players get scheduled leave. There are some clauses that the club can’t even have much control over these players, even in terms of a fitness program and things like that.
“There was a chaperone that went with the players to make sure they were doing the right thing and (out of contract captain) Dyson Heppell was seen as a leader and a player that would look after the group.
“But it’s a ridiculous situation that is unfolding at Essendon.”
Essendon endured one of the most tumultuous seasons in club history, with players labelled like “witches’ hats” before extraordinary final round scenes saw coach Rutten left in limbo as the hierarchy launched an ultimately unsuccessful 11th hour bid to lure Alastair Clarkson to the club.
Rutten would go on to lose his job days later, with a host of staff and board members who backed him also out the door.
Essendon are still without a CEO and head coach, while captain Dyson Heppell is no certainty to remain at the club for 2023 and beyond.
