Kane Cornes unleashes over AFL decision to scrap player weights in 2024 season guide
The AFL will not include player weights in its 2024 season guide over mental health concerns – a move a Port Adelaide great says is a “slippery slope”.
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Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes has unleashed on the AFL after a decision not to include player weights in the 2024 season guide, labelling the move “soft”.
Season guide editor Ash Browne told SEN on Friday that the AFL had deemed player weights to be “inappropriate” for this year’s edition, with the information no longer included in the booklet.
“They’ve decided in this day and age it is inappropriate for weights to be a public matter, in a publication like the season guide,” Mr Browne said.
“They would say that people support that it’s not appropriate to publish weights and that it’s private information now.”
Cornes raged in response to the revelation, saying he believed the world had “gone soft” on the younger generation.
“Can you believe it? I was alerted to this yesterday … if you get your book and you want to look up what Jordan De Goey weighs, you will no longer be able to find it,” he said.
“The world has gone so soft. I can’t believe it.”
The former player said player weights should be publicly available information.
“You’re a professional athlete. You’re not an influencer on social media. Any other sport I can look that up. I can tell you Travis Kelce was 113kg. His quarterback Patrick Mahomes weighs 102kg,” he said.
“No longer in my role as a commentator can I say Jake Lever is playing on Charlie Curnow, Curnow has an 8kg advantage – he should take him deep to the goalsquare.
“They’re not accountants, they’re not nurses, they’re not lawyers – they’re professional athletes where your body is your job for goodness sake.”
Cornes said he believed the decision was a “slippery slope”.
“I don’t know where this is going to lead to. Are they going to ban us from knowing that Caleb Daniel is 168cm? He could easily be offended by being one of the shortest players in the game,” he said.
FIVEaa presenter Graeme Goodings also took to social media to lash the decision.
“I thought this was a joke but sadly no it’s not,” Goodings wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“The AFL will no longer reveal players weight, ‘it’s not appropriate to publish weights, it’s private information now’.
“Better stop height information too for the vertically challenged.”
There’s a column missing pic.twitter.com/DNnRDZckhd
— Kane Cornes (@kanecornes) January 12, 2024
Cornes has previously courted controversy over “fat shaming” comments directed toward players.
In 2020, Crows powerhouse Taylor Walker hit back after Cornes compared a photo of Walker puffing out his stomach to one of Port Adelaide veteran Charlie Dixon.
Cornes defended the comments as “a bit of fun”, but Walker was having none of the sledge.
“To be honest mate, I find it quite sad and I pity for the bloke that he’s just trying to stay relevant this whole time,” he said.
“Honestly, it’s getting a bit of a joke that he continually has a personal pot shot at me.
“I’ve let it go, but he continues to try and stay relevant.”
Cornes was again embroiled in a body shaming saga in 2022, when he questioned the fitness of West Coast’s Elliot Yeo with divisive commentary about the 30-year-old’s weight.
“He looked out of shape to me. We used to call it “fat club” [at Port Adelaide] if you’re above 60 skin folds. Once you get into the AFL system your body is your only weapon. You have to hold yourself to elite standards,” he said.
The outspoken media personality has consistently maintained
“I hate the term body shaming because I don’t think anyone from a professional sporting sense, when your body is your weapon, can be body shamed,” he said after AFLW player Sarah Perkins slammed trolls’ comments about her appearance in 2022.
The AFL has not listed AFLW players’ weights since its inaugural season in 2017.
Three-time Crows AFLW premiership player and dual Club Champion Ebony Marinoff said she believed player weights should be publicly available given the professional nature of the game, but understood the reasoning behind the move.
“I think player weights should be allowed in both the men and women’s league,” she said.
“We are elite sportspeople and there is level of expectation around that.
“But I do see where body image and eating disorders can come in to play (when it comes to weight).”
In 2021, the AFL scrapped skinfold testing on draft prospects over concerns the practice could lead to poor mental health or body shaming.
The league made the decision in consultation with the Australian Institute of Sport, on the back of health advice that body composition tests can have an impact on body image issues.
The move was applauded by Carlton AFLW star Darcy Vescio, a strong advocate for mental health, who said testing young men who had not been part of a professional football program could have a detrimental effect and mental wellbeing “should be prioritised, not scoffed at.”
“I don’t understand the backlash over clubs no longer doing skinfolds before players are drafted,” she posted on Twitter.
“If we’re serious about mental health and wellbeing of players (and society) then why slam a change that promotes that?
“The impact of body image issues and fat shaming is deep.”
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