Kane Cornes and Patrick Dangerfield ’kiss and make up’ after a chance meeting at a Glenelg cafe

WHAT the hell would the MRP have made of this encounter between columnist Kane Cornes and Geelong champ Patrick Dangerfield at Glenelg today? Deliberate contact, to the head, and smiles all around.

Kane Cornes with Patrick Dangerfield in Adelaide this morning . Picture: Kane Cornes/ Twitter .

KANE Cornes and Patrick Dangerfield have “kissed and made up’’ after a chance meeting at a Glenelg cafe today.

The former fierce Showdown rivals had been at loggerheads during the week after Cornes claimed Brownlow Medallist Dangerfield “does exaggerate injuries” after the Geelong star’s matchwinning five-goal performance on one leg against Hawthorn on Saturday.

Cornes’ controversial call on Channel Nine led to some angst between the pair, with Dangerfield jokingly hobbling into a press conference on Monday on crutches, heavily bandaged and with his arm in a sling and saying “I just laugh at Kane Cornes, that’s all you can do, I think’’.

Cats coach Chris Scott went a step further, labelling Cornes’ comments as “attention-seeking behaviour”.

But Dangerfield and Cornes were all smiles today and hamming it up for the camera after a unplanned meeting at the Bay.

“I walked into my local cafe (The Meditteranean) and the owner told me Dangerfield was here so I laughed thinking that he was taking the mickey out of me because of the week that I’d had,’’ said Cornes, Port Adelaide’s AFL games record holder, with 300 from 2001-15.

Patrick Dangerfield may or may not have worn this expression when he found out he was sharing a coffee shop with Kane Cornes. Picture: Michael Klein

“When I ordered my coffees at the counter I looked over and saw Dangerfield sitting there with a friend and I couldn’t believe it.

“So I thought I’d go and say hello to make sure things were OK between us. To Patty’s credit and the professional that he is, he greeted me with a smile and shook my hand and we had a laugh about it.

“He put me in a headlock for a picture, we had a good chat and it was a credit to him the way he handled himself and good that we could catch up and smooth things over, I guess.

“He didn’t seem to think it was too much of an issue and made the comment that he knows exactly how the media works, that he didn’t take it personally and we move on.’’

Cornes said he “didn’t have the courage’’ to ask star midfielder Dangerfield if he was fit to play against the Crows after he flew into Adelaide on Wednesday night — a day before his teammates.

“Sorry, Crows fans, I can't help you in that space because I didn’t want to push my luck with him,’’ Cornes said.

It is understood Dangerfield arrived before the rest of the team to attend a function at the Alma Tavern, which he part owns with Crows stars Taylor Walker and Rory Sloane.

After their surprise catch-up, Cornes tweeted: “Breakfast with Brownlow medalist”.

Dangerfield responded with:

Your exaggerating "breakfast"... it's was a coffee! https://t.co/WTDruq27xU

— Patrick Dangerfield (@dangerfield35) July 20, 2017

Cornes, an The Advertiser columnist, said he had been surprised at how much had been made of his comments about Dangerfield ... and said he stands my them.

“I clarified during the week what I said and that’s that not once did I ever question his courage because I think if he’s not the most courageous player in the competition he’s certainly in the top three-or-four,’’ Cornes said.

“All I said was that he exaggerates injuries and I’ll stick by that. It’s what we do in the media, we give an opinion.’’

Former Crow Dangerfield, who is favourite to win a second consecutive Brownlow Medal, hurt his left foot in the opening quarter against Hawthorn last week and, after leaving the field, returned to kicked five goals from 20 disposals while also hauling in 12 marks, in what was described as one of the AFL’s great individual performances.

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Originally published as Kane Cornes and Patrick Dangerfield ’kiss and make up’ after a chance meeting at a Glenelg cafe