Mark Williams has stood by former Port Adelaide player Kane Cornes after his thoughts that Geelong star Patrick Dangerfield exaggerates injuries.
Cornes’ forthright opinions on a range of footy issues have divided the footy world, with his comments on Dangerfield laughed off by the reigning Brownlow Medallist.
However Cornes’ former premiership-winning coach at the Power says that his obsessiveness from his playing days are carrying over into his media career.
“Kane's a different sort of cat,” Williams told SEN Afternoons.
“We thrived on having him in the side but it was hard work.
“He would want to know how he played and he would ask almost every person in the room because he doubted himself a lot.
“So you'd have to [say] 'listen Kane, just ask me and I'll tell you what I think of your game' and within a second then he'd want to know 'who am I playing on next week?'
“[He was] obsessive, 100 per cent, and with everything you see and what he does, he wants to be the best at it.
“So with the media stuff he will work his bum off to get to the highest level.”
Williams says he enjoys the frankness of Cornes’ comments compared to the safe and submissive method most current television commentators use.
“He will take no prisoners because that's what he's like… I don't mind it,” said Williams.
“I was watching the GWS game on the weekend, and I may be biased, but when Buddy Franklin gets a free kick from Phil Davis right at the really important time of the game ... someone needs to be able to say 'listen, that was the worst free kick I've ever seen and it certainly wasn't there'.
“Because we can't keep all agreeing with each other ... I'm all for, 'let's not all be bland and let's not all be the same'. Let's make sure we've got someone that's capable and confident enough to not go the company line, if you like.”