The Port Adelaide champion has recently signed to join Channel 7 in 2025.
Kane Cornes has opened up on the ‘blunt’ message from Collingwood CEO Craig Kelly that fuelled his desire to forge a successful career in the AFL media. Cornes played 300 games for Port Adelaide before turning his hand to the media, and has since become a successful analyst for Channel 9 and SEN.
Last week it was announced that Cornes was jumping ship to join Channel 7’s coverage next year, in a move that shows how highly he’s regarded in the footy world. Cornes is known to divide opinion with some of his takes, but fans and colleagues are starting to realise he’s usually on the money.
Speaking on the latest episode of LISTNR’s ‘The Howie Games podcast’ with Mark Howard, Cornes lifted the lid on his media career and some of the opinions he regrets. He also revealed how an email from Kelly when he was trying to get a start in the media spurred him to make it big in Melbourne.
Cornes revealed Kelly advised him to stick to South Australia as he would never make it in the Victorian landscape. “I was managed by TLA at the time and Craig Kelly, I remember sending him an email saying, ‘Craig, can you explore some of these (media) opportunities for me?’” Cornes revealed.
“And he wrote back as bluntly as ever – and I don’t know him very well – but he just wrote back, ‘Kane, your focus needs to be on South Australia, you will not make it in the Victorian media.’
Honestly, and this is nothing against Ned (Kelly’s nickname), because I appreciate the honesty. But I’d be lying to say that email from Craig Kelly hasn’t driven me more than anything else to prove people wrong. I have never told anyone this. I just remember this email and being so disheartened.”
Kane Cornes addresses ‘feud’ with Trent Cotchin and Channel 7
Cornes has found himself at odds with Channel 7 media members Luke Darcy and Trent Cotchin in recent years, after doing an infamous video in which he parodied Richmond champion Cotchin. Cornes revealed he was told ‘indirectly’ that he’d never work at Seven as a result.
“I wasn’t told directly… but it got back to me,” he said. “They were really, really upset by it. The producers who had put that to air were really upset and that made me feel a little bit guilty. But yes, that feedback did get back to me.
“We just sort of walked in on the Sunday and I’d seen this Trent Cotchin video. I thought it was an average product, to be completely honest. Yes, Trent is new (to the media), I personally wouldn’t have put that on social media after seeing what it was, so I think they let Trent down by doing that. We sometimes take the mickey out of each other.
“I thought is there anything we can do with this Cotchin video? I didn’t really rate this video. We put our brains together and we come (to an idea), well why don’t we film you (Kane) in a similar style, let’s find the most boring piece of play for the year and let’s recreate what had happened. I think I said to Matt (our producer), is this out of line? Is this too nasty? And the consensus was ‘nah, it was a bit of fun.’ Would it have been hard for Trent to look at? Possibly. Do I regret doing it? No. I would do it again.”
Kane Cornes admits to putting some mayo on his opinions
When asked by Howard if he ever conveys an opinion just to be controversial or rile up fans, Cornes said: “No. But does that mean I haven’t put 10% on the opinion or said it on a Saturday night and thought to myself, I’ve already said this, how can I layer this up with something to give it a bit more oomph?
“So, yes, I’ve done that. For example, I said Darcy Moore plays one good game in every six (games) at the moment. Have I then gone one step too far and said he should go back to the VFL? But that’s an example, I’m not going to drop Darcy Moore, but I did say that.
“So no, I don’t say anything I don’t believe in, but have I put an extra 5-10% on it? Yeah, I have. Have I reflected on that being the wrong thing to do? Yeah, I have.”
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