Controversial former Port Adelaide player Kane Cornes has blasted West Coast and Adam Simpson for letting professional standards at the club slip and says they should introduce disciplinary punishments for “overweight” players.
In his exclusive column for The West Australian, Cornes said the Eagles must take a hard line on professional standards as part of their coming rebuild.
“(Adam) Simpson has let professional standards slip at West Coast. He is not hard enough on his players, such as (Elliot) Yeo. Too many have taken liberties,” he said.
Cornes criticized star midfielder Yeo after the Eagles’ round six defeat against his former side at Adelaide Oval, where he was also concussed, claiming he was visibly unfit.
And he did not hold back in this week’s column, saying his weight issues and lack of training are why he has spent much of the year on the sidelines.
“The midfielder has had yet another season ruined by persistent soft-tissue issues that are the result of poor preparation and a lack of training,” he said.
“There is no excuse for a full-time, highly paid professional athlete to present in an unfit state. It is now critical for clubs to have the power to sanction players for failing to meet professional standards.”
He also said superstar Nic Naitanui, who has struggled with persistent knee injuries over the last five seasons, looked heavier than at any other point of his career and noted Jeremy McGovern had struggled to meet body fat and weight requirements in the past.
“It is time for the clubs to claw back the balance of power in contract negotiations,” he said.
“The balance of power in negotiating player contracts has shifted tellingly in favor of the players since the AFL introduced free agency at the end of the 2012 season.”
In America’s hugely successful NBA, the New Orleans Pelicans have done just that with their injury-prone star Zion Williamson.
Williamson recently signed a maximum five-year contract extension valued at $193 million, but the club added a “professional standards” clause that demands he regularly weigh in.
If his body fat and overall weight fall out of a specific range, the Pelicans will have the power to slash the 22-year-old’s salary.
The clause was brought in with Williamson managing just 85 games in his first three 72-match seasons due to injury, including all of the 2021-22 season with a broken foot.
Essendon also enacted a similar clause in Jake Stringer’s latest contract after he admitted carrying an extra eight kilograms derailed his 2020 campaign.
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