Kane Cornes: Jack Higgins’ joke shows how AFL has changed since my playing days

FORMER Port Adelaide star Kane Cornes has applauded Richmond’s Jack Higgins after he stunned the football world on Thursday night with his ‘joke of the week’ to his teammates.

Daniel Rioli of the Tigers celebrates after kicking a goal with Jack Higgins.

I WAS 18 and lively when I spoke in front of my teammates for the first time in my debut season at Port Adelaide.

I didn’t say anything ground breaking in that team meeting, I just addressed what the training

expectations might be when we were granted a rare weekend off.

After the meeting a senior player pulled me aside and asked “have you played 100 games yet?”

This clearly wasn’t a question, given it was my first pre-season, I hadn’t even had the opportunity to play a game yet, this was a chastising.

I eventually answered with a sheepish “no.” To which my teammate snapped “Well don’t talk in team meetings until you’ve played 100 games!”

This exchange some 17 years ago flooded back to me when I was watched last Thursday night’s game between Richmond and Sydney.

Kane Cornes at Port Adelaide training during thje 2001 AFL season.

As is customary, the Tigers huddled around for the last word from their captain just before the siren sounded to start the third term.

On closer inspection it wasn’t Trent Cotchin addressing his players, but 10-game rookie Jack Higgins.

The 19-year old forward appeared to give a short rev-up speech that saw his teammates, in

particularly Brownlow medallist Dustin Martin, burst into laughter. They were laughing with him, not at him. This is a team in good shape culturally.

It’s not the first time Higgins has commanded the attention of his teammates after half time and with Richmond winning again on Thursday it won’t be the last.

The contrast of my first experience speaking to the playing group compared with Higgins’ shows how far attitudes within the AFL dressing room have shifted.

My brother Chad Cornes was notoriously strict, regimented and demanding in the locker room on game day. He had a fierce belief that your attitudes in the pre-game game warm up would reflect your performance.

“Switch on.” “Stop mucking around.” “We have to be ready from the start.” Were common

commands shouted by Cornes that still ring in my ears today.

Jack Higgins of the Tigers in action during the Tigers’ win against the Swans.

There was certainly no room for individuality pre-game.

That attitude came from the top with coach Mark Williams quick to point out any player who smiled or went out of their way to shake the opposition’s hand if we lost.

AFL legend Malcolm Blight, during his time at the Crows, appointed Ben Hart as the bus monitor.

Hart’s job was to make sure there was complete silence on the bus en route to the game.

Go inside the change rooms pre-game today and you’ll find players preparing in their preferred style.

Some will wear headphones with rap music blaring, others will sit inside the doctor’s room sharing stories and laughing jovially with the usually quick-witted medical department. The more intense players will be methodically stretching or reviewing opposition vision on the coaches iPads.

West Coast’s Willie Rioli and Liam Ryan were captured on Fox Footy’s change room camera dancing in tandem as they were about to re-enter Adelaide Oval after half time on Saturday. Players would never have dared act in such a way 10 years ago.

What Richmond has learnt better than all clubs is that different approaches work for different

individuals and the team.

If a quick joke from an infectious kid called Higgins calms the nerves before a ferocious second half on the big stage works for them, then they will use it.

Even if he’s only played 10 games.

WINNERS

1. STORMING HOME

ADELAIDE dominated the stats sheet in the final term against West Coast. Remarkably they had 10 more clearances, 20 more inside 50s, 21 more contested possessions and 12 scoring shots to the Eagles two. That final term performance would make the under siege high performance department extremely happy.

2. FREEBIES

PORT Adelaide snared former Melbourne captain Jack Trengove for free when he joined the club as a delisted free agent in the off-season. The club then grabbed former North Melbourne forward Lindsay Thomas with pick 12 in the rookie draft. Both players were instrumental in the Power’s 21-point win over Carlton on Saturday.

3. TIP YOUR HAT

KADE Simpson was the best man on the ground with 37 disposals in game 300. There’s not a more admired player in the game.

4. DE-STAYING

WHAT a week for Collingwood. They finish round 15 second on the ladder and star forward Jordan De Goey turned down a $5 million dollar offer from North Melbourne by committing to the Magpies for the next two years.

5. RARE COMPANY

COLLINGWOOD’S Jayden Stephenson is the most exciting first year player since Chris Judd burst on to the scene in 2001.

LOSERS

1. DANGEROUS PRECEDENT

PORT Adelaide’s Darcy Byrne-Jones was suspended for one week after reading his phone calendar wrong and arriving one hour late to a meeting.

It was his first offence this year. I wonder if the same punishment would have been handed out if it was a bigger named Port player or if the team wasn’t taking on 18th placed Carlton?

2. THE WORST RULE

AT risk of sounding repetitive, the 50 metre penalty against players who encroach the 10 metre protected zone is an absolute blight on the game.

3. DOG DAY

GEELONG’S season could have ended when Harry Taylor’s after the siren shot at goal drifted to the left on Friday night.

The Cats have lost their past seven matches after coming off the bye and now face Sydney and Adelaide away before tackling Melbourne in round 18. They need to win five out of their last eight to qualify for the finals which now seems unlikely.

4. WHERE’S RILEY?

THERE’S still no sign of Adelaide’s Riley Knight after the club said he was to be ‘managed’ in round seven.

Further soft tissue injuries to Sam Gibson (hamstring) and Cam Ellis-Yolmen (quad) are evidence the club is yet to get on top of their injury crisis.

5. BIAS CALLS

IT’S hard to know who was most disappointed at Carlton’s loss to Port on Saturday. The players, fans or the Fox Footy commentary team?