‘Are they scared of him?’: Kane Cornes blasts Nat Fyfe deal

AFL 300-gamer Kane Cornes believes Fremantle has missed a trick after the difficult call the club has seemingly refused to make.

Kane Cornes has questioned Fremantle re-signing Nat Fyfe. Photo: Getty Images and SEN

AFL 300-gamer Kane Cornes has taken aim at Fremantle after the club offered the two-time Brownlow Medallist Nat Fyfe a two-year contract extension.

The deal will take Fyfe through to the end of his career, giving him two years to win the premiership he has coveted throughout his footballing life.

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On his day, the 31-year-old Fyfe is one of the best players in the AFL and has been the heart and soul of the Dockers throughout his career, where he will most likely retire a one-club player.

Also three-time All-Australian, seemingly the only prize left for him to claim is a premiership to cap an incredible career.

While Fyfe will go down as a club legend, his best days are already behind him as injuries have haunted him over the years.

While he has played 214 games, he’s missed plenty more.

Have we seen the best of Nat Fyfe? Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

But speaking on SEN Breakfast, Cornes questioned whether spending salary cap on Fyfe was a wise decision for the Dockers.

“Is it 2019 or is it 2023?” Cornes asked on SEN Breakfast.

“Nat Fyfe has been given a two-year contract extension, meaning Fremantle have committed to him for another two and a half seasons.

“He’s missed 32 games in three and a half seasons, he turns 32 in a few months, he’s the 409th rated player in the AFL according to your friends at Champion Data, he’s the 24th rated player at his own club Fremantle.

“He’s kicked one goal in his last five games of 2023, he’s kicked six goals in his last 12 games.

“He’s a shadow of himself, yet Fremantle have committed to him for another two seasons after this one.

“Are they scared of him? I mean, it’s really difficult to make hard calls on champions of your club, but it’s not 2019 anymore.

“This isn’t the Nat Fyfe of old, am I being too harsh?”

Kane Cornes had plenty of questions. Photo: SEN

Reports emerged on Friday that Fyfe’s deal was less than half of his previous deal, going from a $1 million a season to around $400,000.

While there are more than 50 matches before the end of his extended deal, Cornes believes “he’s got 25 left — and five good ones.”

But North Melbourne legend David King said Fyfe would be worth it as the next generation come through.

“With the champions, I like the overs rather than the under,” King said.

“They’ve been so good for your footy club, and I know the club’s been good for them in terms of finance back the other way and those sorts of things.

“But this guy is seriously important to winning the premiership, he is and you can think you’ve gone past him, but look at last weekend’s game against Melbourne.

“It’s clearly his best game for a while, 20 touches, he was at the coal face winning contested footy.

“He’s the big body showing these smaller young stars the way.”

Fyfe has been a champion for Fremantle. Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Cornes argued that Fremantle should have waited until the end of the year, and King admitted that two years was a “a quirk that I wasn’t thinking they would do”.

However, he questioned whether other clubs were circling.

Fyfe did admit on Friday there were other clubs interested, but had exclusively dealt with Fremantle before signing on the dotted line.

“I saw a picture of me in the different jumpers and it just didn’t hit,” he told 7 News Perth.

“It wasn’t me, that was never going to happen.”

Fyfe did tease he wanted to stay to win a premiership.

The Dockers currently sit ninth on the AFL ladder but only on percentage to the seventh-placed Crows and Bombers in eighth.

Originally published as ‘Are they scared of him?’: Kane Cornes blasts Nat Fyfe deal