Luke Beveridge and Kane Cornes Share ‘Cringeworthy’ Pre-Game Confrontation

Bailey Smith’s highly-anticipated debut for Geelong against his former club promised to be a spectacle, but pre-match tension ignited when Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge clashed with Kane Cornes.

It’s no secret that Beveridge and Cornes have had a tumultuous relationship in the past.

Before Thursday night’s AFL showdown at Kardinia Park, the duo exchanged heated words along the boundary line.

Video footage captured the incident, revealing Beveridge leaving the ground pre-match when he encountered Cornes, who was on commentary duty.

As they exchanged remarks, the Dogs’ coach continued on his path but then turned back to further engage with Cornes before walking away again.

A Bulldogs team member was later spotted having a quick chat with Cornes.

In a post-game discussion on Channel 7, Cornes described the moment as an “awkward situation”.

“There was definitely a confrontation, some words were exchanged,” he stated.

“But you know, coaches are competitive and protective of their players. I have no problem with that; it’s a significant game of footy.”

“It’s clear that my relationship with the Western Bulldogs isn’t particularly strong.”

Cornes is currently barred from the Bulldogs’ changerooms following previous disparagement of Beveridge and the club.

The scoring opened with Cats forward Jeremy Cameron, who cleverly played on from a mark inside 50, kicking around the body to catch the Bulldogs off guard.

However, Ed Richards quickly equalised for the visitors, scoring with a kick that went unnoticed by the defenders on its way through the goal posts.

Smith’s return was marked by a mixture of boos and cheers from the crowd.

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