Cornes' issue with Blakey beer photo with new North teammates

North Melbourne recruit Nick Blakey's arrival at Arden St was perhaps the biggest talking point of the 2026 trade period.

The superstar half-back is expected to be a brilliant on-field addition for the Kangaroos, but his move from Sydney comes after serving a five-game club suspension for breaching the club’s behavioural standards during a night out in Melbourne in August.

There is also a separate sexual assault allegation being investigated from the same night. No criminal charges have been laid.

With that still hanging over Blakey and four of his former teammates' heads, SEN's Kane Cornes was intrigued to see how Blakey would be presented by his new club.

While the Roos were quick to post a photo of the 26-year-old with his father John, who played 224 games in the royal blue and white, he was pictured shortly after enjoying some beers with his new teammates.

Even though there is certainly nothing wrong with Blakey and some of North's biggest names sharing a beer in the off-season, Cornes certainly wouldn't have wanted that getting out about himself so quickly if he were moving to a new club trying to restore his image.

Cornes discussed the photo, with Blakey seated next to North stars Nick Larkey and Paul Curtis, with Sam Edmund on SEN Breakfast.

Cornes: "What did you think of Nick Blakey being photographed having beers?"

Edmund: "I didn't think anything."

Cornes: "You didn't think anything?"

Edmund: "What? He can't have a couple of beers with his new teammates. Why was that seen to be eyebrow-raising?"

Cornes: "I can be a wowser with these things. It's the second photograph that has been taken of him since joining North Melbourne.

"With everything that's gone on, I probably would have preferred the first image of me in the gym or the first image of me training, not the first image of sitting around looking like I was on Mad Monday.

"Now, I'm not outraged by this at all, by any means. But. I just thought. If I were Nick and I wanted to restore my image, the second photograph of me at my new club wouldn't have been pictured with a jug of beer in front of me."

Edmund: "I understand what you're saying, but sitting there with a handful of mates having a beer is far from illegal."

Cornes: "No, I'm not saying it is."

Edmund: "It didn't look irresponsible in any way, shape or form. It looked like millions of other Australians on any particular day. I would disagree with you on that, and who's to say he's not in the gym just because there's no photo of it?"

Cornes: "I think he's an excellent addition for North Melbourne, but I just think considering everything, having a jug of beer in front of me wouldn't have been my first choice."

As reported by Code Sports, the snap was taken at the Builders Arms Hotel in Fitzroy on Tuesday afternoon.