AFL round 8: Damien Hardwick and Kane Cornes war of words
Damien Hardwick says Kane Cornes doesn’t believe the words that come out of his own mouth. The Richmond coach’s comments come after Cornes made claims Tim Taranto didn’t influence games.
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A war of words has broken out between a pair of former Port Adelaide premiership teammates after Richmond recruit Tim Taranto produced his best game for his new club on Saturday.
Taranto was prolific through the midfield as the Tigers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 46-point win over West Coast at the MCG.
The former Greater Western Sydney midfielder amassed 30 disposals, 10 clearances, six score involvements and kicked two goals in the triumph.
The performance came a day after former Port Adelaide midfielder Kane Cornes had said that Taranto “wouldn’t be in the top 150 players in the game right now” and suggested he didn’t influence games.
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick hit back at his former Power teammate after the game, claiming that Cornes did not believe some of the things he said.
“I know Kane really well and you guys know how the media work,” Hardwick said.
“He doesn’t generally believe that comment, but what he does is he says it to get clicks. That’s how the media works. Surprise.
“He (Taranto) is an outstanding player. Those two boys that we brought in in (Jacob) Hopper and Taronto, we wouldn’t be anywhere near where we need to be – or more importantly we wouldn’t be anywhere near where we want to be – without those two boys. They’ve been wonderful for our footy club. They’re starting to learn what it is to be a Richmond person and starting to play like Richmond men, which is which is really important. So I thought those two boys were very, very good today and will continue to be for a long period of time.”
Hardwick took a second swipe at Cornes minutes later, while talking about fellow midfielder Dion Prestia’s importance to the club.
“Kane said he wasn’t worth pick 6,” Hardwick said.
“He’s come out a three-time premiership player.”
After a sluggish start, the Tigers got their game going against the Eagles in a second-half surge that was led by three goals in five minutes from an unlikely source in Prestia.
It had been much of the same for Richmond in the first half as it entered the main break with just five goals to its name from 33 inside 50s.
However, the Tigers went on to kick 10.6 from 32 inside 50 entries in the second half as they got their turnover game back up and going and found some connection going forward.
“After quarter time, we lent in a little bit more, got the game looking more like a Richmond game and on our terms and we started to assert some ascendancy inside 50, which is a positive for us,” Hardwick said.
“Our scoring profile has never been about pure efficiency, but it’s about re-entries and what that looks like. We got that today. We had (65) inside-50 entries, 32 forward half turnovers. We’ve just got to improve our efficiency from scoring from those opportunities, which got better as the game progressed.”
Hardwick lauded forward Shai Bolton, who had his best game for the year with 31 disposals, 13 score involvements and 3.1.
“Generally when Shai’s playing well, we’re playing well,” the coach said.
“I thought his ability to hit the scoreboard was just really dangerous all the time and the way he moved and the way he sort of set the game up around 50. I thought he’s incredibly unselfish today too, which is great. When he uses that ball and finds teammates in a better position, it just makes our job a hell of a lot easier and we score easier.”
TIGERS SURVIVE SCARE AS DIMMA LOSES PATIENCE WITH FORWARD
Richmond’s season has a pulse. A very, very faint pulse.
The Tigers were listless early in an error-riddled Saturday afternoon clash with West Coast, but eventually found the spark needed to kick away and claim a 46-point win, which will keep them within two-and-a-half games of the top eight at the end of the round.
Eagles stars Oscar Allen and Tim Kelly relished their only chance to play on the MCG this season and were terrific with four goals and 29 disposals respectively, but they were only a sliver of light on another dark day for the struggling club, who lost impressive youngster Jai Culley early to a suspected serious knee injury.
It took until time-on in the third term for the Tigers to move clear of the plucky visitors, thanks to an extraordinary three consecutive goals in five minutes from Dion Prestia.
The first major in Prestia’s cameo was sparked by a clever and well-timed handball from Dustin Martin as he drew several Eagles defenders towards him.
The 30-year-old’s classy finishing was an outlier for the Tigers, who wasted several easy chances to go ahead during the second quarter.
Allen could not miss when provided with opportunities to score, booting two goals early in the third term as the Eagles briefly threatened a stunning boilover, but Richmond’s ongoing dominance in the contested ball, thanks to some impressive ruckwork from Samson Ryan, meant the resistance was always going to falter.
CRUSHING BLOW FOR CULLEY
Just a fortnight after he deservedly claimed an AFL Rising Star nomination, Jai Culley’s promising season appears to have come to a shattering end.
The hardworking 20-year-old crumpled in a marking contest just after the 10-minute mark of the first quarter, and although he was able to walk off the field with trainers he was soon subbed out of the game.
Culley was in tears at quarter time as he was consoled by teammates, with his reaction suggesting another devastating blow amid the Eagles’ hellish run of injuries.
Dion Prestia has kicked three in a row 🔥#AFLTigersEaglespic.twitter.com/Z68Cz3R4nz
— AFL (@AFL) May 6, 2023
DIMMA LOSES PATIENCE (AGAIN)
Omitted forward Noah Cumberland won a reprieve after Ivan Soldo was withdrawn from the game with a foot issue, but early in the third quarter the left-footer found himself out of the 22, tactically subbed off with an almost unprecedented -10 ranking points.
Since his destructive first quarter performance on Anzac Day Eve, Cumberland has managed only 10 possessions and 0.2, with the 22-year-old likely set for a stint in the VFL to regain confidence.
EAGLES LEADER SETS THE TONE
West Coast coach Adam Simpson said last week the Eagles will look to rotate the captaincy in the coming weeks as captain Luke Shuey and his deputy Jeremy McGovern remain sidelined, but current acting skipper Tom Barrass emphatically stamped his on-field leadership credentials with a colossal first half performance to keep his side in the contest.
The 27-year-old had seven spoils and reeled in three intercept marks, including a courageous grab seconds after returning to the field with his head heavily strapped, preventing the in-form Jack Riewoldt from having any access to the ball around goal.
SCOREBOARD
TIGERS 1.2, 5.8, 10.12, 15.14 (104)
EAGLES 2.3, 4.5, 7.6, 8.10 (58)
BOURKE’S BEST
Tigers: Bolton, Taranto, Prestia, Hopper, Ryan, Martin.
Eagles: Allen, Kelly, Sheed, Duggan, Barrass, Jones.
GOALS
Tigers: Prestia 3, Bolton 3, Taranto 2, Pickett, Graham, Miller, Clarke, Hopper, Ryan, Martin. Eagles: Allen 4, Petruccelle, West, Darling, Williams.
UMPIRES Dore, Fleer, Toner, Young.
INJURIES Tigers: none. Eagles: Culley (knee), Barrass (head).
CROWD 28,293 at the MCG
BOURKE’S VOTES
3. S. Bolton (Rich)
2. T. Taranto (Rich)
1. D. Prestia (Rich)
Gale opens up on AFL role speculation
— Chris Cavanagh
Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale says he is unlikely to have another crack at the AFL’s top job and is yet to be approached by league headquarters about filling the vacant head of football role.
Gale ran second to Gillon McLachlan in the league’s search for a chief executive in 2014 and threw his hat in the ring again last year when McLachlan announced his departure.
McLachlan’s right-hand man, Andrew Dillon, ultimately won the latest process and was appointed CEO-elect this week before he officially takes the reigns from McLachlan in October.
Asked on Saturday if he would have another crack at running the AFL, Gale, 54, said that was a longshot.
“Right now, probably not,” he said.
“I should quote the politicians – never say never. But I think my age is against me. Andrew will have a good run at it. He’s got every right to. He’ll do a wonderful job and I’m sure he’ll be well supported. There will be widespread support from the AFL community.
“At the end of the day, this (at club land) is where the magic is. This is where you create history and build your dreams and aspirations and sometimes challenges and struggle. You know you’re alive out here so maybe that’s where it’s at.”
Dillon is leading the search for a new head of football at the AFL and has indicated that Gale would be a good candidate for that role.
The AFL’s new head of football will play a key role in setting up the league’s new Tasmanian team, which is set to enter the competition in 2028.
However, Gale said talk linking him to that position was “pure speculation” for now.
“I don’t know where those reports are coming from,” Gale said on 3AW radio.
“I’m fairly passionate about Tasmanian footy. I think it’s an incredible opportunity and the AFL will learn from the last two experiences with the Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney. There will be some great lessons. But my focus right now is getting our season back on track.”
Gale dismissed suggestions that he was frustrated by time it took for the AFL to appoint a new chief executive, saying he went into the process with “eyes wide open and with the support of the board”.
He also defended his wife Jane, amid speculation in the industry that some at the AFL had a set against her.
“When you put your hand up for these sort of roles, you’re subject to scrutiny,” Gale said.
“My wife’s been an incredible support to me as a wife, as a partner, my family. She’s a very intelligent person, she’s a very engaging person and she’s been an asset to our football club.”
Originally published as AFL round 8: Damien Hardwick and Kane Cornes war of words
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