Kane Cornes Calls Out Demons for Ongoing Cultural Problems

Kane Cornes has expressed concerns that the cultural issues within Melbourne Football Club continue to persist, despite the club’s efforts to rectify matters during the off-season following a disappointing 2024 season.

Although Melbourne conducted a thorough review after finishing 14th in the league, Cornes remains sceptical about the resolution of these problems.

The team’s struggles on the field were compounded by ongoing disputes involving star midfielder Clayton Oliver and a noticeable disconnect with an unhappy Christian Petracca, all of which kept the club in the spotlight for negative reasons.

“Is there a club in football where the rhetoric doesn’t align with the reality more than Melbourne?” Cornes questioned during his appearance on SEN Radio on Monday.

“Do they genuinely believe what they’re saying, or are they merely attempting to deceive us and their supporters?”

Last year saw the resignation of chief executive Gary Pert just a month after president Kate Roffey stepped down, casting the club’s board into disarray. Pert’s remarks during his tenure have left a bitter taste for Cornes.

“From Gary Pert claiming they had the best culture in 40 years to Simon Goodwin’s assertion that, ‘we don’t have a cultural issue, just isolated incidents’,” Cornes added.

“They mentioned ‘isolated incidents’ at least 15 times. Do they genuinely believe that?”

Furthermore, Goodwin’s tendency to downplay these incidents only adds to the uncertainties surrounding the club.

Recently, the coach controversially claimed that goal sneaking ace Kysaiah Pickett was “fully engaged” with the Demons, even amidst ongoing trade speculation suggesting he could be heading west to join Fremantle next season.

“Simon Goodwin stated that Kossy is doing as well as anyone at the club and is the most engaged he’s seen him,” Cornes remarked.

“Is texting Fremantle players about potentially joining them next year and liking social media posts linking him to Fremantle truly indicative of being fully engaged?”

Cornes also voiced concerns about the troubled trajectory of star Oliver’s career at the club, noting the Demons’ interest in trading the midfielder over the past couple of years.

“Goodwin said publicly about Clayton Oliver, ‘it was certainly uncomfortable how things unfolded last year but Clayton understands just how much I care for him and how proud I am of his journey’,” Cornes noted.

“This is someone you’ve attempted to trade for two consecutive seasons. How can you then try to reassure him that the whole club loves him a mere couple of months later after giving him warnings in 2023?”

Cornes cautions fans not to take everything the club says at face value.

“I really don’t believe their statements align with their actions,” he asserted.

“Their communication lacks authenticity, and it’s questionable whether they stand by what they profess to us.

“This footy club consistently makes declarations that don’t hold up against their actions.”

The Demons are set to face GWS at the MCG on Sunday, 16 March.