In case you missed it, Kane Cornes got into a very public spat with Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge at GMHBA Stadium. This battle has sparked the imagination of fans and pundits alike. Commentating for Channel 7 on Thursday, Cornes had an interesting take. He was waiting for the big final game between Geelong and the Bulldogs.
While Cornes was looking out the window, Beveridge and his staff were marching in. With that, and in a matter of seconds, he tipped his hat, saluted, “Bevo,” and paid homage to the coach. This otherwise innocuous interaction has led to much debate about the new antagonism brewing just beneath the surface.
Coronation, perhaps? Even Kane Cornes, no friend of Beveridge for a long while now, maintaining this week’s radio lambasting of Beveridge’s particulars in detail. Listen to SEN’s Fireball to hear the entire discussion! As he noted, this event didn’t happen in isolation. Beveridge has an established history of tumultuous relationships with several media figures.
Cornes has been especially keen to call out the Bulldogs on what he sees as taking a step backwards since their 2016 premiership success. And I think he’s done it badly in the media and I don’t think it’s genuine. It’s strange,” Cornes remarked, suggesting that Beveridge’s recent approach to media engagement is not consistent with his past behavior.
Onday Cornes pointed out that Beveridge is in the last year of his deal. This newfound reality puts an increased burden on the quality, consistency, and frequency of both his professional output and his personal appearance. As our fellow commentator Craig Hutchison pointed out three weeks ago, Beveridge is at the moment on a “charm offensive” with the media. This is a major departure from his formerly coy approach.
Cornes commented further on this change, stating, “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.” He went beyond praise to call out the hypocrisy of this newly-found interest. “But for 10 years, he’s hardly spoken, and now because his contract is up for grabs, he’s available to everyone,” he added.
Cornes conceded Beveridge had done an admirable job of defending his club. “It’s OK, it’s fine. He’s combative. He protects his club. I’ve got no issue with it. We can have a bit of a laugh about it, I think,” he said. Humanizing her this way underscores the richness and complexity of their dynamic, as both parties are forced to reckon with professional boundaries and personal discord.
As for the incident on the field, Cornes promised that it was never going to become physical. “He had his own security guards; he had a couple of club officials pulling him away,” he explained. This most recent comment underscores the intellectual clashes that have been ongoing between Cornes and Beveridge. Underneath, both carry that same fierce ethos of professionalism in public life.
Beveridge responded to questions regarding the encounter with a calm demeanor, stating, “Ultimately we come in here, we talk about the game. That’s probably all we’re after isn’t it?” His remarks show that he’s ready to shift the optics away from the infighting and back to the game.
Moreover, when asked about any potential controversy stemming from their interactions, Beveridge dismissed such notions: “If you’re trying to drum up any controversy, I don’t think there was any. I’ve really got nothing to say. You’re not going to get me to bite.”
Both likening each other’s coaching style to an upcoming, highly physical contest between Geelong and the Bulldogs. Observers will watch pretty intently what dynamic develops between the two as the game plays out. Indeed, the ongoing machinations between athletes, management, and TV pundits are almost always as important to the story as the conditions on the field.
