- Kane Cornes denied calling Port Adelaide star ‘soft’
- Commentator thought Zak Butters should ‘grit his teeth’
- Scans showed Butters had bone bruises from the Geelong match
Football commentator Kane Cornes has responded after he was accused of labelling Port Adelaide midfielder Zak Butters ‘soft’.
The star midfielder was substituted at half-time last Thursday with a rib injury, with subsequent scans showing bruised bones following the heavy qualifying defeat to Geelong.
Cornes stated on Sunday that Butters ‘wanted to be substituted, otherwise they would substitute him’. Some football fans and officials saw this as a way of indicating that the young player had no ambition towards the Cats.
AFL Players’ Association chief executive Paul Marsh branded Cornes’ comments “irresponsible” – and the Port Adelaide championship winner returned his serve on Channel 9’s Football advertisements.
“He (Marsh) thought (the comments) were irresponsible, he thought I was questioning the courage of Zak Butters,” Cornes said.
“I just said it’s a real challenge for him. A lot of players are playing in pain at this time of year and I think he had to push through.
‘Paul went off and said I called him (Butters) soft. Paul really needs to be careful about putting words in my mouth that I didn’t say.
“Paul, I never doubted Zak Butters’ courage. I told him it was a real challenge for him and he had to grit his teeth.”
Polarising football commentator Kane Cornes has responded after being accused of calling Port Adelaide midfielder Zak Butters ‘soft’
The Power midfielder (pictured left) was substituted at half-time last Thursday with a rib injury during the heavy qualifying final defeat to Geelong, with scans revealing bone bruising
An excited Cornes too accused Marsh of ‘running to the Herald Sun’, where veteran football reporter Mark Robinson first reported the comments.
Speaking on RSN Breakfast, Robinson called Cornes’ comments “completely stupid”.
‘“Cornes is a good commentator, but now he thinks he is an editor of a newspaper,” he said.
‘He [also] thought he was a doctor on Friday night.’
Robinson added to RSN that he believes the AFLPA is running out of patience when it comes to the outspoken Cornes.
Port Adelaide will be looking to bounce back after being defeated by Geelong in a semi-final against Hawthorn at Adelaide Oval on Friday.
Midfielder Butters has been cleared to play.