Kane Cornes has again questioned Melbourne’s culture after Joel Smith returned a positive drug test for a banned substance.
The Demons utility, who played a key role as a forward late in the season, is believed to have taken cocaine in the weeks leading into the 2023 finals series.
While it remains to be seen how Smith will be reprimanded, it does not change the fact that Cornes believes the Dees do have a culture problem.
Smith’s situation comes after behavioural issues relating to Clayton Oliver which followed an episode between teammates Steven May and Jake Melksham during the 2022 season, prompting the following comments from Cornes.
“When you are a fringe-ish type player, let’s be honest. He’s played some good football and has been important when the team has had injuries, coming in and playing multiple roles and he actually played pretty well in the back half of the year,” Cornes said on SEN Breakfast.
“You are a fringe-ish type player, it’s Round 23, Melbourne are as good a shot as any at that stage to win a premiership and this is what you’re getting up to on a Wednesday night.
“We can sweep this under the carpet as much as you want. Melbourne can do that and I reckon they’ve been pretty good at sweeping things under the carpet recently.”
Cornes again took aim at the Demons after Goodwin claimed the club has a strong culture at their best and fairest night.
“THEY DO NOT HAVE A STRONG CULTURE”: GOODWIN’S BEST AND FAIREST SPEECH SCRUTINISED
“Your culture isn’t that strong,” Cornes added.
“We’ve seen what has happened with Clayton Oliver and that was clearly a pointed message to Clayton Oliver.
“More so on field as well. I thought their discipline late in the year really let themselves down. They’ve had issues with Steven May and Jake Melksham and all that sort of stuff.
“Since the premiership, I don’t know if their culture has been that strong. You can’t continue to put your head in the sand. Issues like this now come to the surface.
“There’s something going on at Melbourne and it’s not something that the fans would be that proud of, I wouldn’t have thought.”
Another layer to this situation that Cornes would want to find out, if he were involved at the Demons, is if other players were partaking alongside Smith.
He also indicated that Melbourne supporters would have every right to feel “devastated” for what has happened at the club since the 2021 premiership.
“I suspect he wasn’t doing it alone. I don’t clearly know what goes on out there, but I don’t think it’s a drug that you’re doing on your own,” he said further.
“Were other teammates involved? And were they just lucky that through the random nature of the after-match drug testing that they weren’t tested as well? I don’t know, but that would be what I’d want to find out if I’m the Melbourne footy club.
“These are the margins that you’ve lost a game by and in Round 23 one of your players is doing this midweek. You could argue that in some way it’s potentially cost them a premiership.
“Melbourne fans would be devastated. They won the premiership in Perth but these Melbourne fans haven’t experienced that joy that the Collingwood fans experienced at the MCG.
“They want to see that, they want to live it, and to find out that this is happening when the margins are so small, I would be so angry if I was a Melbourne supporter.”
MELBOURNE UTILITY RETURNS POSITIVE DRUG TEST