Kane Cornes calls out Simon Goodwin for ‘pandering’ to two stars

Media personality Kane Cornes has called out Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin over the way he’s treating two players at the club.

Former premiership player turned media personality Kane Cornes has put Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin in the spotlight.

Cornes’ scathing criticism however has nothing to do with on field results, instead it’s to do with Goodwin’s behaviour towards two stars of the club.

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Cornes stuck the boots into the premiership winning coach and called him out for “pandering” towards Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca.

Both players have been at the centre of trade speculation over the past few seasons, but elected to stick with the club.

Goodwin and the club have worked had to build the relationships back up, Cornes however believes the coach has taken things too far and is neglecting the rest of the playing group.

Watch Cornes’ scathing rant in the video player above

“I’ve never seen a club and a coach pander to two players like Melbourne have done from the start of the year,” Cornes said on The Agenda Setters.

Kane Cornes calls out Simon Goodwin.

“I understand all the questions are directed to Simon Goodwin about Petracca and Oliver.

“You know the way you answer that? ‘There’s 44 players on our list, not two, and I’ve spoken a lot about how much we rate and respect Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver, but this is a team game’.

“I’ve never ever seen Chris Scott do that and speak about Bailey Smith repeatedly since day one of pre-season to the point where he is pumping him up for a tagging role.

“It’s just amazing how much they have tried to pump these two guys up from day one. It’s love and it’s all this. What about the other players in the side? What about the players that give absolutely everything?”

Cornes called out Goodwin’s treatment towards Oliver and Petracca. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Cornes then turned the flamethrower onto Oliver, who has struggled to regain the form that saw him become a multiple All-Australian, after putting pen to paper on a monster contract.

“Their investment for the output, it’s just not a good return on your investment of $1.3m. If he’s not getting All-Australian every two out of three years, if he’s not getting 30 and 10 clearances,” Cornes continued.

Host Craig Hutchison interjected, saying, “the role of the day required him to do that (tagging).”

Cornes however wasn’t buying it and said that reasoning was simply doing what the club had been doing all year.

“I understand, but that’s once again pandering to him,” he said.

“If he’s not in the side to be a 10-clearance per game, 30-possession player, he goes back to the VFL and finds the footy 40 times to get himself back in the ball.

“That’s what you would do if he’s Tom Sparrow. If that’s Tom Sparrow out of form, he goes back to the VFL, gets himself 30 and comes back to the team in great form. They are just finding a way to cover once again for Clayton Oliver.”

Petracca and Oliver have failed to reach the heights of their game-changing best. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

The blistering attack from Cornes did not sit well with media veteran Caroline Wilson who came to the defence of Oliver.

“I’m shocked by that view. I’m shocked,” she said.

“But in the context of everything Clayton Oliver has been through, and he didn’t play a week ago … it’s not a football issue.

“It’s a much wider issue than a football issue and Simon Goodwin is trying something different.

“He’s not going to do it for the rest of the year, or maybe he will. If he thinks this is a good thing for Clayton Oliver — he knows Clayton Oliver’s problems more than you do.”

Goodwin’s “pandering” to Oliver could cause player unrest. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt however said the criticism wasn’t in relation to the role Oliver was playing on the field, it was about the constant love being showered on him by the coach.

“I think it’s more the gushing over the role. OK so you went out and played a role. I think it’s the gushing about it,” he said.

“I understand where Clayton’s coming from. I understand that. He made the mature decision to take the week off because he was struggling, applaud that absolutely.

“But from a pure football perspective, yes more at play, this is an issue for Melbourne and this is going to be an issue for them ongoing if he’s not able to transcend being a tagger.”

Riewoldt added that the constant “pandering” could ultimately lead to a negative environment within the playing group.

“The way they’ve pandered to Petracca and Oliver, a player who shopped himself around and wanted to get out, and a player who they were also trying to shop,” he said.

“I think the overcorrection has meant that there’s been a ripple through the rest of the group, these guys are put up on a pedestal and these players are given favourable treatment at the expense of the group.

“It’s very tough to be in an environment like that and then preach team collectiveness, equal playing field, integrity of selection, all of those things at the same time.”

Originally published as Kane Cornes calls out Simon Goodwin for ‘pandering’ to two stars