Former Port Adelaide participant turned media persona Kane Cornes has turned the blowtorch on two gamers over their present bodily state.
Cornes has by no means been afraid to ship a bit of his thoughts to the taking part in group and on Monday evening it was two Essendon gamers who copped it.
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Bombers forwards Jake Stringer and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti copped the wrath from the previous midfielder over how they seemed throughout pre-season coaching.
Stringer missed the membership’s pre-season match towards Gold Coast with hamstring tightness and also will miss the opening recreation of the season.
For Tipungwuti, he returned to the membership after a short-lived retirement that noticed him dangle up the boots final 12 months.
Regardless of that, Cornes delivered each barrels to the gamers of a crew that many predict will end within the decrease half of the ladder.
“I’m robust on the truth that Jake Stringer turned up day considered one of preason unfit and out of practice,” Cornes stated earlier than including “no shock”.
“It’s no shock that he has been dominated out for spherical 1 and has had an interrupted pre-season.
“Tipungwuti is a superb story and we hope it goes effectively, however to me as soon as once more the attention would inform you that he appears out of practice.
“And if you’re not in form Brad Scott as a brand new coach, and Zach Merrett as a brand new captain, says to these gamers you’re not eligible for choice till you’re match.
“As a result of that’s what Chris Scott would do with Patrick Dangerfield they usually win a premiership. It doesn’t matter if it’s mid-season and also you do a six-week block of coaching, till you hit health and physique form necessities you’re not eligible for choice.
“They’ve stated they’re not within the finals combine, I don’t see why there’s nothing to realize by setting a more durable customary at Essendon.”
Bombers legend Matthew Lloyd backed up Cornes’ remarks and stated Tipungwuti at the moment doesn’t appear like a “match match AFL participant”.
Stringer has lengthy been touted as an AFL recreation changer, however has copped criticism all through his profession for failing to ship on his skills.
He used that criticism within the second half of the 2022 season to ship a career-best patch after a 7kg bodily transformation.
In a frank chat along with his personal coach Jack Kelly, Stringer conceded it was a sacrifice he wanted to make to achieve larger heights and settle for assistant coach Blake Caracella’s problem to play extra midfield time.
“I knew at some stage I used to be going to return unstuck as a result of I’d completed a lot working that I hadn’t completed earlier than,” Stringer informed the How They Practice podcast.
“It was at all times going to occur, however I knew I had to do this to set myself as much as get to the place I wanted to get to, if that is smart?
“That’s the place my mindset shifted.”
Sadly Stringer is again within the gun forward of the 2023 season with pundits lining as much as ship photographs if he as soon as once more fails to fireplace.
McDonald-Tipungwuti, initially from the Tiwi Islands, retired in Could final 12 months after solely months earlier taking private go away from the membership.
Rumours of a possible comeback surfaced throughout the Commerce Interval in October and regardless of curiosity from Fremantle, he inked a one-year deal to return to Essendon.
He final performed throughout spherical 21 in 2021.
McDonald-Tipungwuti made his AFL debut in 2016, coinciding with 34 previous and current Bombers receiving season-long suspensions from the membership’s controversial dietary supplements saga.
He rapidly reached cult determine standing, occurring to be Essendon’s main goalkicker in 2020 and kicking 30 or extra majors in three separate seasons.
McDonald-Tipungwuti guarantees to be a big addition for the Bombers, who struggled to seek out dependable scoring choices behind membership champion Peter Wright in 2022.
