Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
AFL premiership coach Luke Beveridge and Channel 7 commentator Kane Cornes have faced off before the Bulldogs’ clash with Geelong on Thursday night.
The pair have an infamously tense relationship and Cornes is banned from the Bulldogs’ rooms. As a result they rarely interact — until a run-in at GMHBA Stadium.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Luke Beveridge and Kane Cornes face off in explosive pre-match ‘confrontation’.
Beveridge was on his way off the ground when he walked past Cornes on the boundary line, exchanging words as the Dogs coached walked by.
Beveridge turned back to keep talking to Cornes before he walked away mid-discussion.
A Bulldogs staffer could then be seen having a brief word with Cornes.
“There was a confrontation, there were some words spoken,” Cornes said on Channel 7 later.
“But look he’s combative, they do like to protect their players. I don’t have an issue with it, it’s a big game of footy.
“Clearly the relationship between myself and the Western Bulldogs isn’t a strong one.”
Cornes said he did not feel Beveridge went out of his way to have words.
“It was an awkward situation because he was staring at me quite strongly and I didn’t really know what to say,” he said.
“So I just said ‘g’day Bevo’ and it wasn’t received that well, as you can see there in the vision.
“I would’ve liked to have gone on with the conversation and had it respectfully but it wasn’t the time or the place.”
Thursday night’s clash was headlined by star Geelong recruit Bailey Smith making his first appearance against the Bulldogs since his move to the club.
Cornes spoke briefly with Smith before the game, borrowing a headband and briefly wearing it live on air.
Cornes shared a strong opinion on Beveridge’s public persona three weeks ago when The Agenda Setters co-host Craig Hutchison described the coach as being on a “charm offensive” with the media.
Beveridge is in the final year of his contract but Hutchison said the timing of the coach’s media “campaign” was no coincidence.
Backed by a strong run of form to catapult the Dogs into top-four contention, Beveridge has recently been reported to be on the brink of an extension.
“This has been a coach who has been largely unavailable to the media for a long period of time, and we’re now seeing — which is a positive thing, by the way — him open up and be available and vulnerable,” Hutchison said at the time.
“He’s getting a terrific hearing from everywhere that he does interviews at the moment.
“It’s been Sheedy-like, in my mind. And again on the weekend he got favourable coverage through the papers.
“Is he playing the Bulldogs on the break here with this PR campaign?”
Cornes said Beveridge was “playing the media on a break”.
“I find it incredibly amusing that he’s detested the media for such a long period of time and then you’re getting these sort of headlines.
“I think he’s sucked in the media and I don’t think it’s authentic. It’s strange.
“Now, maybe someone has sat him down and given him that feedback (that he hasn’t made himself available enough) and he’s taken that on board and it’s been good for the club, and I’d rather coaches speak than not.
“But for 10 years, he’s hardly spoken, and now because his contract is up for grabs, he’s available to everyone.”
