Kane's Countdown: AFL quotes that aged poorly

Kane’s Countdown continues on SEN’s Summer Run.

Cornes has ranked the top 10 recent quotes that have aged poorly at footy clubs, with plenty of controversial takes from clubs over recent years.

10. Josh Carr (Port Adelaide)

Carr said: “Will Brodie, I've coached at Fremantle, he can find the footy, he'll find the footy, and he'll play AFL footy this year.”

Cornes said: “Yeah, no he won't, he's gone.”

Outcome: Brodie retired after one season and two games for the Power.

9. Adrian Caruso (GWS)

Caruso said: “Oh, I'm not gonna go into specifics on what we want, other than to say that it would need to be a pretty compelling deal for us to let go of such a quality player (in Lavchie Whitfield).”

Cornes said: “The compelling deal was a bag of salt and vinegar chippies, so that was more like a couple of weeks later and he's gone for nothing.”

Outcome: Whitfield (with Picks 31 and 50) was traded to Carlton in exchange for Pick 25, 26 and a 2028 third-round selection.

8. Dan Houston (Port Adelaide)

Cornes said: “Dan Houston, when he was a Port Adelaide player, was asked on 5AA whether he would be sticking around.”

Interviewer: “Where is your future? Is it at the Port Adelaide Football Club?”
Houston: “Yeah, absolutely.”
Interviewer: “So you're not leaving next year?”
Houston: “No, I'm not leaving next year.”

Cornes added: “Someone was telling porky pies!”

7. Brady Rawlings (North Melbourne)

Rawlings said: “In terms of our key defenders, we're gonna back them in, we’ve got five on our list, we've bought in a few through trade and free agency in recent years.”

Cornes said: “And now they're trying to chuck around first round draft picks for an Adelaide player (Nick Murray) who wasn't even in their best team, so that was poor.”

Outcome: North signed no key defenders.

6. Brad Green (Melbourne)

Green said: “I know come Round 1 next year (2025), when I see the first ball bounce, and our midfield of Gawn, Viney, Oliver, and Petracca, our first clearance that you Melbourne faithful, will be there in full force.”

Cornes said: “Never a good time for the president to be picking the team and picking the starting midfield, and three of the four are gone.”

Outcome: Fast forward to today and Viney, Oliver and Petracca have all left the club.

5. David Koch (Port Adelaide)

Koch said: “What's the pass mark for Josh Carr in this first season? It's always finals. We ban the word rebuild. Rebuild is an excuse for failure.”

Cornes said: “Now we're rebuilding in the most savage and aggressive rebuild in Port Adelaide club history.”

Outcome: A rebuild is happening.

4. St Kilda

Cornes said: “Remember they extended Brett Ratten. They then sacked him and they said the reason they'd sacked him because their list is better than what they had performed.”

“Well, no it's not. They're in no better position four years on from sacking Brett Ratten than they were since.”

3. Andrew Welsh (Essendon)

Welsh said: “We very much expect Brad (Scott) to be our next Premiership coach,” Welsh told the Herald Sun.

Cornes said: “Six weeks later, gone.”

Outcome: The Bombers sacked Scott and now Mark McVeigh is the senior coach.

2. Andrew Bassat (St Kilda)

Bassat said: “I think everyone liked us, no one criticised us when we were down at the bottom of the ladder, and we weren't saying anything, and we were just taking our hits quietly.

“Now that we've started to really fight as a football club, we're starting to get under people's skin, and it shows we're making some progress when they criticise us.”

Cornes said: “Where are they going?”

Outcome: Saints finished 11th in 2026.

1. Sonja Hood (North Melbourne)

Hood said: “Someone said to me, the problem with having a plan B is it distracts you from plan A, and we were really, really focused on plan A, so I'm delighted by that (hiring Alastair Clarkson).”

Cornes said: “It's not harsh at all. How'd that work out? That absolutely had to make the list and it had to be high up on the list.”

Outcome: Clarko was sacked this year.