Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Caroline Wilson has recalled her own experiences being banned from AFL change rooms by coaches and officials amid the fallout from North Melbourne’s decision to blacklist outspoken commentator Kane Cornes from their change rooms.
North’s decision to publicly blacklist Cornes is a hot topic of debate on this week’s episode of The Age’s Real Footy podcast, co-hosted by veteran football journalists Wilson, Jake Niall and Michael Gleeson.
Alastair Clarkson and Kane Cornes.Credit: The Age
Wilson said Denis Pagan – who coached current Kangaroos coach Alastair Clarkson at the club before leading it to the 1996 and 1999 premierships – regularly banned journalists from Arden Street. She also named Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge as another who’d banned her in the past.
“We’ve all been banned in the past, haven’t we, by footy clubs,” Wilson said.
“Denis Pagan famously banned us all at various times, and you didn’t know you were alive unless you’d been banned by the North Melbourne coach.”
North Melbourne’s general manager of football, Todd Viney, announced last Wednesday that his club had rejected Channel Seven’s request for Cornes to interview Clarkson in their rooms before Thursday night’s match against Essendon alongside fellow Seven pundit Luke Hodge, who played in four premierships at Hawthorn under Clarkson.
Viney cited Cornes’ repeated criticism of the club, in particular recent scrutiny of gun youngster Harry Sheezel and skipper Jy Simpkin. He said Cornes’ critiques bordered on “bullying”, saying they were “personal”, “vindictive” and “unwarranted”.
Cornes responded on Seven News that night.
“The Alastair Clarkson they thought they were getting was the Hawthorn version of Alastair Clarkson, where he was strong enough and brave enough to front up and answer that type of criticism face-to-face and man-to-man,” Cornes said.
“For him to run away from criticism like this, and essentially not be brave enough to answer it face-to-face with me in the change room, is the most disappointing thing.”
The furore overshadowed the build-up to one of North’s rare forays into a prime-time, free-to-air TV slot – a game they lost by three points.
In the discussion about the motivation for the ban on Cornes, the podcast panellists agreed it was ill-advised. They also acknowledged Clarkson and North’s insistence that the coach did not make the decision.
“It [the decision to ban Cornes] was made on behalf of him [Clarkson] to a large degree,” Wilson said.
“I think North were probably worried what might happen.”
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