“Be careful what you wish for, AFL”: Why Cornes believes Suns could soon become unbeatable

Kane Cornes has warned the AFL to be careful about what they wish for with Gold Coast.

Cornes’ comments came after Gold Coast willingly traded away Picks 6 and 13 to Richmond and Port Adelaide given they’ll have to match bids for Academy players again in the upcoming draft.

The Suns drafted four players in last year’s draft in the first round, with all of Jed Walter, Ethan Read, Jake Rogers and Will Graham coming from their Academy.

With more Academy players on the way including Leo Lombard this year and Zeke Uwland and Beau Addinsall next year, Cornes thinks that the Suns could soon become unbeatable as they continuously top up with first-round talent without needing first-round picks.

With players like Daniel Rioli and John Noble now choosing to join the club from big Victorian sides, Cornes thinks that the Suns are on the verge of becoming a powerhouse.

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“Be careful what you wish for, AFL,” Cornes told AFL Trade Radio.

“There's going to come a point where Gold Coast are unbeatable.

“You cannot have this many good young players, guns for that many years in a row (and not be good).

“Now there’s actually players wanting to go and play there with a good coach (Damien Hardwick), they're just going to be dominant.

“Watch everyone in three-to-four years whinging about this and we’ll go, ‘Well, we tried to warn you, the warning signs were there when Gold Coast was giving pick six for Dan Rioli’.

“Early picks just don’t mean anything to them like they do for other clubs.”

Cornes thinks that clubs like Port Adelaide, St Kilda and Essendon don’t have a hope of competing with the Suns in years to come and he thinks that the Suns should be making finals and beginning their run of dominance from the 2025 season.

“Rioli gets pick six and 23, but Dan Houston gets effectively 13 and 29 - work that out,” Cornes said.

“Port Adelaide have got no hope. St Kilda have got no hope. Essendon have got no hope. No one's got any hope to compete with Gold Coast in two-to-three years' time when these players have all played 50-60 games together and they're the best of the best all playing in the one side together under a good coach. 

“Look out, they are going to come, and for them, it has to come this year.

“They cannot have another year where they don't play finals, this would be the most embarrassing situation for any team if they were failing to make finals next year with this group. 

“But in two, three or four years’ time, be careful what you wish for.”

As things stand, Gold Coast enter the 2024 AFL Draft with Picks 39, 41, 51, 61, 70, 76 & 78 which will help them match Academy bids.

In 2025 the Suns will have three first-round picks which they can again trade away for established talent while securing later picks to match further bids.