Fresh twist in Zurhaar contract future, but Cornes insists “he has to stay” or be labelled a hypocrite
Amidst the backdrop of North Melbourne’s struggles to start season 2024, Cam Zurhaar’s future looms as a separate narrative.
104 games into his career, Zurhaar has never played finals football and the future remains bleak after being smashed by 17th-placed Hawthorn on Sunday in Round 6.
9News’ Tom Morris reports Zurhaar could be on the way out of the Kangaroos should the club continue to stumble.
But Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes insists Zurhaar would be labelled a hypocrite if he was to leave North Melbourne, given how he treated former teammate Jason Horne-Francis.
Horne-Francis left Arden Street less than 12 months after being taken with the no.1 pick, prompting several social media digs from Zurhaar.
Morris: “Cam Zurhaar, his future is directly linked to how North Melbourne go.”
Cornes: “He can’t leave. He mocked Horne-Francis for leaving, made a mockery.”
Morris: “People change their minds, Kane.”
Cornes: “He can’t leave. Cam Zurhaar cannot leave North Melbourne with the way he carried on after his teammate left. It would be highly embarrassing for him, hypocritical, if he choose to leave.”
Morris: “So he can never leave?”
Cornes (with a laugh): “He will stay, he has to stay, he has no option but to stay!”
Horne-Francis’ time at North Melbourne was interrupted by multiple off-field stories about his conduct before he requested a trade to Port Adelaide. Zurhaar commented “Elite” with a fire emoji on North Melbourne’s post confirming the trade and has taken cheeky shots at the now 20-year-old on his Instagram stories.
Former North Melbourne player Atu Bosenavulagi told The Advertiser that there was tension between Horne-Francis and Zurhaar inside the four walls of the club.
“I don’t think they like each other that much, so that’ll be one to expect. There’s a definite rivalry between those two,” Bosenavulagi said last year.
“They had confrontations here and there, they were both pretty competitive at trainings, in the gyms, basically anything they did. A lot of times it got heated … and a few times it did go pretty far verbally.”
Zurhaar, 25, joined North Melbourne in the 2016 rookie draft and is the one of the Roos’ most talented players. He signed a two-year extension in September of 2022 and becomes a restricted free agent this year, meaning he is eligible to move clubs without being traded.
He has 137 goals to his name from 104 games but has never kicked more than 34 majors in a season.
Zurhaar looms as the Roos’ next most important signature in 2024, with the club also hoping to re-sign utility Bailey Scott and young talent Brayden George.