Kane Cornes has called out several senior Richmond players and urged the Tigers to embrace a full rebuild after a lacklustre loss in Opening Round.
Gold Coast defeated Richmond by 39 points at Heritage Bank Stadium on Saturday in an emphatic statement for new Suns coach Damien Hardwick against his old side.
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The Suns are aiming to make finals for the first time since joining the AFL in 2011, while Richmond are tipped to slide down the ladder again this year with their premiership dynasty in the rear-view mirror.
Speaking on Nine’s Footy Classified, Cornes showed replays of senior Richmond players Jayden Short, Dion Prestia, Dylan Grimes and Tim Taranto missing tackles and turning the ball over in the loss to Gold Coast.
“(Jayden) Short can’t be missing that tackrble 13 minutes into the season,” Cornes said.
“This is him again, a senior player. That’s rubbish.
“There’s no game style a coach can come up with, for Prestia to kick it to the opposition under no pressure from 20 metres away.
“Taranto’s got his issues. Grimes the former captain kicking it out on the full in Round 1 and giving away a 50m (penalty).
“I was disappointed in the efforts of some of the senior players. If you’re going to get those efforts from senior players, they’ve got no hope from the young ones.”
Cornes said new Tigers coach Adem Yze would have a decision to make over a group of fringe players and veterans including Kamdyn McIntosh, Grimes, Marlion Pickett, Jacob Koschitzke, Sam Naismith and Nathan Broad.
“I don’t know why any of these players are playing,” Cornes said.
“What benefit is the club getting from playing these players?
“What’s the point? Play the youth, take the pressure off the club, do what Hawthorn have done and reset and go to the draft and rebuild from the bottom up.
“Which young players at the Tigers are you excited about?
Caroline Wilson pointed out Richmond giving up four draft picks to recruit Taranto and Jacob Hopper from GWS in 2022 delayed a fully fledged rebuild and ensured the Tigers would be in the AFL’s no-man’s land for some time.
Wilson said: “Isn’t Damien Hardwick at fault here? For pushing for Hopper and Taranto. For thinking they could make finals last April and then spitting the dummy after losing to Essendon.”
Cornes added: “This was on the cards for two years. I can’t believe no one saw this coming, particularly Damien Hardwick.”
Source Agencies
