Time On: Kane Cornes, Dale Thomas trade barbs in footy media
They’re soon to be TV teammates, but that hasn’t stopped Kane Cornes and Dale Thomas sniping at one another in the footy media.
Confidential
Don't miss out on the headlines from Confidential. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Time On is your wrap-up of all the footy media gossip and banter.
The tension is simmering between Dale Thomas and his future TV colleague Kane Cornes.
Already the pair have some well reported beef to overcome before Cornes jumps ship from Channel 9 to Channel 7.
Thomas called out Cornes for his controversial commentary surrounding Port Adelaide star Zak Butters where he effectively told him to toughen up.
And on Friday, Cornes hit back, saying Thomas should come up with an “original opinion”.
Cornes said he rated all three of the hosts on Triple M’s Midweek Rub — Thomas, Leigh Montagna and Damian Barrett — but “how many times from that particular person (Thomas) is there an original opinion”.
“I did note they took that down from their socials … no idea. What I want to monitor from now on is how many original opinions come from that program. How many times do they give an original opinion, not an opinion that is in response to someone else’s opinion. I just want to flag that,” Cornes said on SEN.
On Wednesday, when Thomas was asked about Cornes’ commentary on Butters, Thomas said his take was “complete bullshit.”
“And if (Cornes) was sitting direct to me at any stage in front of a microphone or in front of me at the pub, I’d tell him that is the dumbest thing I’ve heard for a long while.”
Thomas stood by his comments on Thursday, telling Time On he would always take a position in support of a player.
“There are weirdly times I agree with Kane but the position I’ve taken is to be supportive and backing the players and not lose sight of how hard it is to play.”
Thomas is seen as one of Seven’s big stars and also looks set to be rewarded with a new long-term contract.
Speaking of Cornes, he found himself on the flight to Adelaide with the Hawthorn team on Thursday which both camps found amusing.
“I was in the fortunate position to be surrounded by my Hawks on the way home,’’ Cornes said.
A picture surfaced on X of Cornes nestled on the aisle next to Connor Nash.
“I said Connor, sorry, you can have the aisle, I’m happy to have the middle seat and he said no. Ripping fella, they all were.”
Olympic star in gold and bronze
Olympics swimming powerhouse Ariarne Titmus is urging the Hawks to hold onto their “fearless attitude” and “just go for it”.
The mad Hawthorn supporter was at the MCG cheering the side on last week and is hoping for a similar result against Port Adelaide on Friday night.
“I’d say from now on you’ve got nothing to lose, go in with a completely fearless attitude and just go for it,’’ Titmus told the Herald Sun.
“No one was expecting this so just go in and play your style.
“Everyone is bandwagoning the Hawks and they’re super quick and the team has character.”
Titmus grew up in Tasmania and has been following the Hawks since the age of five.
“Growing up in Tassie, they’re footy mad,’’ she said.
“The whole of my mum’s family is one-eyed Tigers but we had a footy colours day at school and half of my class was in Hawksgear so I didn’t want to feel left out.
“Moving to Brisbane I’ve lost touch a bit because it’s so rugby league focused but I’ve made a conscious effort to keep supporting.”
Titmus returned from Paris and flew straight to Melbourne for a week and watched the team play.
She said Hawks coach Sam Mitchell reminded her of her own coach Dean Boxall.
“After meeting him he reminds me a lot of Dean in terms of work ethic and how he speaks to his players which I think is reallycool,’’ Titmus said.
“A team sport is something I don’t really know but they have mottos and mantras and he’s all about hard work and the mentalityof being tough.
“I’ve been a lucky charm as they’ve won most times I’ve been at the games.
“I reckon they’re good enough to topple Port Adelaide.”
Smith hits back at critics in deleted post
Bailey Smith has got Bulldogs fans buzzing after requesting a trade.
One Facebook group posted an Instagram story that Smith had uploaded but quickly deleted.
It had the comment: “reminder: there’s 2 sides to every story” along with a clown emoji. And then further down he wrote “one day”.
It’s believed Smith will head to Geelong after the gun midfielder spent most of the year rehabilitating his knee.
He did post another story to his Instagram, writing “A chapter I’ll never forget”.
Noble becomes the butt of jokes at Pies post-season catch up
Collingwood star Brody Mihocek has revealed teammate John Noble, who has requested a trade to an interstate club, became the butt of jokes at the club’s post-season catch up.
Noble, who missed out on playing in last year’s premiership, bounced back well and returned to the side this season. It’s been reported he requested a trade to the Gold Coast Suns with the players taking a lighthearted dig at the running defender.
“I think once they make up their mind it’s pretty hard to change it,’’ Mihocek said on the Footy Talk podcast.
“We had a lot of fun Wacky Wednesday with John … we were playing the Gold Coast theme song. But we all love John, he does cop it a bit. Can’t wait to play against him and I reckon the boys will get in his head pretty easy.”
Mihocek, who is expecting his first child with partner Polly next month, said he’d welcome Jake Stringer from Essendon if the club went down that path.
“I would actually, think he lives out west not far from me so could share a lift into training. Should be an interesting couple of months,’’ he said.
Pop star ‘stoked’ to be performing at grand final
Singer, pop star and athlete Cody Simpson will perform the Australian national anthem at the grand final on September 28.
Simpson leads a host of Aussie favourites who’ll join international act Katy Perry as part of the pre-game entertainment at the MCG.
“I’m stoked beyond words to have been asked to sing the biggest national anthem of the year at the AFL Grand Final,” Simpson said.
“It’s a special and timely opportunity for me to step back on stage for the first time after my sporting career. As an Australian, it’s one of the greatest honours and I hope I can deliver something that everyone can sing along to and share in the pride to be a member of this beautiful country.”
Celebrated artist Christine Anu and her singer-songwriter daughter Zipporah Corser-Anu will also perform along with September favourite Mike Brady.
“The AFL is proud to have a host of talented Australian artists part of our Telstra Pre-Game Entertainment as we celebrate another outstanding season,” said AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon.
“Cody, Christine, Zipporah and Mike are no strangers to performing on some of the biggest stages and are ready to put on a spectacular show at the ‘G on the last Saturday in September.
“I’d like to thank Telstra for its ongoing support of our pre-game entertainment and look forward to seeing our Aussie artists, together with international icon Katy Perry, perform in front of the 100,000 fans in-stadium and the millions watching at home.”
Simpson previously performed the national anthem at the 2022 NAB AFLW Grand Final in Brisbane
“I’m incredibly excited to be performing at this year’s AFL Grand Final, especially alongside my daughter Zipporah and the Songlines Choir. It’s a true treat to be among such talent at the MCG,” Anu said.
Brady will return to the hallowed turf to perform his own footy anthem, Up There Cazaly, as part of the Toyota AFL retiree motorcade.
‘What are you thinking?’: Hodge calls out Ginnivan’s Power trolling
Hawthorn legend Luke Hodge says Jack Ginnivan has gone too far with his social media by-play with former teammate Brodie Grundy.
Ginnivan left a public comment on the Swan’s Instagram pictures celebrating Saturday’s win over GWS.
“See you in 14 days” Ginnivan wrote.
Hodge said the move had given Port Adelaide “ammunition” for their semi-final on Friday night just days after his polarising appearance at a pub 24 hours before the Hawks beat the Western Bulldogs.
“Jack, Jack, Jack, what are you thinking?,” Hodge said on SEN radio.
“Him going out for dinner last week … after his exit from Collingwood, probably (shouldn’t have). It was a pub, it wasn’t a restaurant, it was a pub. I probably wouldn’t have done it, but OK. Had some waters and was home at 9pm, no problems at all.
“When it comes to social media stuff, one thing you don’t do is give ammunition to the opposition. He’s having a bit of a joke, he played two years with Grundy at Collingwood. So they know each other and it’s probably a bit of banter. But what you do is you send banter in a text message, you don’t put it out in the open for Port Adelaide to sit there and go: ‘Let’s use this and get stuck into Ginnivan’.”
Hodge said Hawthorn’s leaders should pull Ginnivan into line.
“I’m not looking at Sam Mitchell to tell him not to do this, I’m looking at James Sicily, Jack Gunston, Luke Breust and the leaders of that football club to say: ‘Finals are hard enough. Yes you had a bit of success at Collingwood’.
“But they’ve been around a long time, especially Gunston and Breust. They know how hard finals are and that passion and emotions motivate players. You don’t want to go give anything to an opponent to try and make them come out any more pumped up.”
“I know we’re changing with the times but one thing that won’t change is you don’t send something out there for an opposition team to come harder at you than what you really need to.”
Kane plays the hits
As expected, the detractors came for Carlton’s Mad Monday dress up display.
Kane Cornes, who was vocal about Richmond players in costume last week, was again frustrated.
“Geelong are the only team who can do it, they do it better than anyone else,’’ he said.
“It’s not book week.”
Injury can’t dull Fev’s flag glow
Brendan Fevola was rushed to emergency on Sunday night with one of his more gruesome footy injuries — a hole in his back.
After starring in the Diamond Valley Superrules Football League over 35s Grand Final and claiming a flag, he noticed the bloody cost of victory when he got home.
Earlier in the week, Fevola had undergone surgery after a routine skin cancer check revealed a serious mole on his back. He received eight stitches but wasn’t going to let it ruin his shot at premiership glory.
“I had eight stitches in my back and the doctor said I wasn’t allowed to do any sport,’’ Fevola said on his FOX FM breakfast show on Monday morning.
“I didn’t tell her I was playing in the Grand Final on Sunday, so I thought I’d run the gauntlet. And yeah, I had a bit of a sore back throughout the game.
“I had a few beers after the game in the rooms, I drove home, (partner) Alex rings me and says ‘The girls want Maccas’, so I had to change my direction to get McDonald’s and drive home.
“I ordered a prawn pasta because I hadn’t had a pasta for over a month and I’m like, I’m going to sit on the couch and just chill. Because I’m a premiership player again.
“I go, oh I’ll have a quick shower, got my footy stuff out of the bag and on my jumper, no. 25, the top half of the five was all blood.
“I looked in the mirror and there was a massive hole in my back. Alex said you need to go to emergency straight away, it’ll get infected, that’s an open wound. I said, ‘Can I just wait for my UberEats to come because I’m hungry’? They said no.”
Fevola had a five-hour wait to be stitched up again, finally getting out of the emergency department at 11.30pm.
“A hundred per cent it was worth it,’’ he said.
“If it gets infected well, I’ve won a flag. Doesn’t matter you if you play in them at Nar Nar Goon, Koo Wee Rup, the firsts, seconds or thirds or the AFL, everyone feels the same driving in, you all get a medal and win a cup. A flag’s a flag.”
Chad Cornes gets popcorn out for brother’s swap
Former Port Adelaide star Chad Cornes is getting the popcorn out ahead of his brother Kane’s defection to Channel 7, which will require the footy shock jock to mend a few fences.
Kane Cornes has had beef with many in the footy world, including some of his soon to be colleagues, but Chad Cornes, who coaches at his old club, says it’s the relationship with Matthew Richardson he’s most keen to see unfold.
That is despite Kane clashing big time with Luke Darcy on radio earlier this year.
“Who should he be most worried about … about previous conflicts and battles he’s had?’’ Cornes said on Triple M’s The Rush Hour.
“I reckon Richo, I heard that Darce interview and Kane dismissed him, I’d be a bit embarrassed if I was Darce after that. But Richo is the guy we love and I follow Richo on Instagram and once a week there’s a dig at Kane so that one for me will be good viewing.”
Chad said he knew Kane was jumping ship from Channel 9.
“He told me about a month ago and it was top secret in his words,’’ Chad said.
“He loves the opportunity to commentate the big games in finals … but the connection especially with that Sunday morning crew (on the Sunday Footy Show), he was very close to them and those guys have been so good to him so it wasn’t an easy decision.
“I think whenever that last show is he’ll show some emotion there. The opportunity to do the big games consistently and possibly spend a bit more time at home was too good to pass up for him.”
Albo’s footy credentials questioned
Sports presenter Tony Jones was scathing of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese back in May when he went into the Hawthorn rooms and sang the song in Launceston.
And he was incensed again when he saw Albanese parading around the Hawks rooms on Friday night after the game.
His Sunday Footy Show colleague, Nathan Brown, also laid the boots into the PM
“These are people that try to insert themselves into finals football when maybe they should stay in their lane,’’ Jones said.
And then Brown took over.
“I feel like the prime minister, this was for the good of himself going into the Hawthorn rooms. This sickens me,” Brown said.
“Anthony Albanese, he’s had a look at the polls and he thought Peter Dutton is closing, he’s in front, there’s a gap. He feels like ‘I need to look like a common man. I’m going to go into the Hawthorn rooms’.
“Give it up, Albo, no-one is buying it.”
Robinson goes rogue
Mitch Robinson vented his frustration on social media after claiming his former club, the Brisbane Lions, didn’t allow his family into the rooms after Saturday night’s win over Carlton.
In a now deleted post on X, Robinson said footy was a “fake family” and vowed not to go a Lions game again.
“Imagine playing and bleeding for a club for 8 years, copping copious amounts of head knocks and staples in my face (long term effects) just to have my family turned away to come down to the rooms after the game to celebrate with my old teammates. Football is a fake family just remember that, I’ll never go to a Lions game again.”
Earlier Robinson, wearing a Lions jumper, posted a picture with his former Blues teammate Brendan Fevola.
The comment was posted after 11pm on Saturday night and was deleted by Sunday morning.
Brisbane has denied the accusations, saying he didn’t have the required accreditation and was then issued a pass by a member of the footy department but declined the offer when a group of friends he was with couldn’t gain entry.
It comes after Robinson shared his disappointment at the way his career ended in Brisbane.
The 35-year-old was delisted at the end of 2022 and said he was denied an opportunity for his retirement to be celebrated by fans and teammates.
At the time, Robinson said Lions coach Chris Fagan made it clear that his retirement had to be kept under wraps heading into the club’s preliminary final loss.
Robinson also gave Fagan a public swipe before the dust had settled.
“Devastated Fages (Chris Fagan) wouldn’t allow me to announce this in person to the supporters and my teammates, but I guess that’s footy,” he posted.
“It’s been an absolute privilege pulling on the Fitzroy and Lions jumper!”
Dusty jets out
Retired Richmond hero Dustin Martin has travelled to Thailand for a break.
Martin, who bid an emotional farewell to footy after 302 games, has headed for warmer weather with former Tigers teammate Josh Caddy.
Martin’s post-season Las Vegas trips with Dane Swan were much talked about.
It’s unknown if he’ll be back to attend the club’s best and fairest night.
If you can can’t beat em, join em
Kane Cornes is “all in” on Hawthorn, vowing to get a tattoo of a wizard if they win the flag.
Cornes said watching Nick Watson, who had a bay of witches hats in the crowd on Friday night, was a joy.
“I’m all in on him,’’ Cornes said on afl.com.au.
“He’s just … so infectious to watch and there’s going to be a lot of his guernseys sold. If you can’t beat them join them. If they win it I’m going to get a wizard tattoo.”
Speaking of Cornes, he earned high praise from a one-time foe in Wayne Carey.
Carey posted on X, formerly Twitter: “C Cornes (sic) was once a shock jock. Now only one that is prepared to say what others don’t ?? Truth has overtaken shock #welldone.”
Seeing double
Many of the VIPs, media and corporate guests were doing a double take at the footy on Friday night.
Sitting outside the Olympic Room barracking hard for the Hawks was a lady looking very similar to Amanda Dillon, the wife of AFL CEO Andrew Dillon.
Turns out it was her twin sister who was loving the Hawks performance with friends.
’Didn’t need to break bread’: How Thomas, Cornes mended ‘f***wit’ sledge
Dale Thomas and Kane Cornes are back on the same page ahead of their joint TV debut, following a back and forth that descended into name-calling.
Aussie tennis ace Kokkinakis moves on with top model
A budding new romance appears to be on the cards for Aussie tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis, who was recently seen sharing a close moment with a stunning brunette.