Port Adelaide premiership hero leaves fire service to enter hot debates on sport
KANE Cornes is stepping away from putting out fires — to start them in the media with his uncompromised views on sport. He is leaving the Metropolitan Fire Service after a year in the brigade.
A YEAR after quitting AFL football, Kane Cornes is giving up his coveted role at the Metropolitan Fire Service to build a high-profile media presence across newspapers, television and radio.
And the Port Adelaide premiership hero knows he is stepping into a firestorm, because his second career change in as many years is certain to spark the same controversy as his uncompromised views on sport.
“I understand people will take issue with this decision,” Cornes told The Advertiser yesterday. “But they also should put themselves in my position. The fire service was a limited opportunity for me – I did not know if it would come up again. I made a decision in the best interests of my family and my life after football.
“I sincerely thought I could combine the two – media and the fire service. But as it has turned out, one of these careers was going to suffer by combining them. That is not fair to the fire service – I was not going to do that in an environment where you have to give 100 per cent.
“I am not going to worry about the perception or the reactions. If you do that with every decision you have to make in life, you can only hold yourself back.”
Cornes, 33, has developed an impressive media portfolio this year while also starting his own digital media company – Cornes & Sloane – with Crows midfielder Rory Sloane and their partners.
Cornes’ media roles include The Advertiser; radio with FIVEaa in Adelaide, 3AW in Melbourne and Crocmedia across regional Australia; and television with Channel 9 through Crocmedia and Fox Footy.
He is expected to become a co-host of FIVEaa’s top-rating afternoon sports show in the summer season and to gain a significant role with Fox Footy next season
Cornes will leave the fire service with a greater admiration for his colleagues after fighting fires and working in emergency situations with them. He chose not to recall his firefighting moments – some that were life-threatening situations.
“I was never fearful nor scared,” said Cornes, who also leaves the fire service never having had to rescue a cat from a roof or treetop.
“But I was out of my comfort zone in never having learned a trade nor never having worked in a such practical situations with my hands. I did learn a few things – and I also enjoyed working in a strong team environment where people are committed to doing great work in the community.”
Given his time again, Cornes says he would have chosen to play out last season and waited to measure his opportunities away from football.
“But I was in a difficult position,” Cornes said. “I came out of school at 17 only wanting to play football. Fifteen years later I’m asking myself what will I do for the next 30 working years of my life?
“In hindsight, I should not have jumped at the first opportunity – but there was that urgency with the placements at the fire service. If I had my time again, I would have played out the football season and weighed up my options over the summer.”
michelangelo.rucci@news.com.au