‘Look really foolish’: AFL coach, commentator’s feud hits ‘new low’ with touchy pre-game moment

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge and Channel 7 commentator Kane Cornes have been involved in a heated pre-game verbal stoush.

Beveridge was walking towards a Fox Footy interview around the GMHBA Stadium boundary line ahead the Cats-Bulldogs match on Thursday night when cameras captured him and Cornes – a Port Adelaide 300-game player – exchanging words.

“The Western Bulldogs’ relationship with Channel 7 has plunged to new lows,” Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph told Fox Footy.

FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer.

“Cornes was already banned from the Dogs’ rooms after a series of negative articles and comments in regards to Beveridge. The club believes it’s personal – called him a ‘poor ambassador for his football club’, called for his sacking repeatedly.

“People around the situation felt like Cornes stepped into his space and they’re thankful that Beveridge walked on. Cornes said Beveridge was ‘starting quite strongly at him’, so he said ‘G’day Bevo’ – and it wasn’t received well.”

“The question here is whether this is deliberately disrespectful and antagonistic, whether it was the time and the space for Cornes to talk to Beveridge.

“It’ll be great for the Cornes publicity machine, but I think Beveridge in a really highly emotional state in what he would believe to be a safe space pre-match dealing with all the issues he faced with the Bailey Smith saga, this was not the time and the place.”

Dual premiership Kangaroo David King, who works with Cornes on an SEN Breakfast radio show twice a week, said there were “no winners” from the exchange.

“This is what Kane does,” King told Fox Footy. “This is his schtick, this is what he does – and I think there are no winners.

“Tonight there are no winners. It makes two intelligent people look really foolish.”

Dual All-Australian Leigh Montagna added: “It’s not a good look when you’ve got two people who don’t like each other and these sorts of things can happen.”

MORE TO COME …