Kane’s Countdown: Cornes’ 10 toughest opponents

Kane Cornes has named the 10 toughest opponents from his AFL career.

The Port Adelaide premiership player, four-time best and fairest and two-time All-Australian came up against some of the league’s premier midfielders during his time in the game.

He would also occasionally play across half-forward in order to quell the influence of the game’s top half-backs.

See below the list of his 10 toughest opponents:

10 - Peter Riccardi (Geelong)

“He was at the tail-end (of his career) and I was at the beginning. He took me forward one day and made me look stupid,” Cornes said on SEN Breakfast.

“You couldn’t move him. He was a strong fella and a dangerous left-foot kick. He could kick them from anywhere.”

9 - Brad Hill (Hawthorn)

“I played on Brad Hill in a prelim final when he was at the peak of his running powers playing for Hawthorn.

“I couldn’t go with him. He had the rare mix of speed and endurance. Very difficult opponent.”

Cornes only played against Hill when he was at Hawthorn.

8 - Andrew McLeod (Adelaide)

“Probably the player I played on the most was the great Andrew McLeod.

“Always difficult to tag someone when you’re playing half-forward and they’re playing half-back. It’s not a job that I enjoyed doing.

“It’s really hard. When do you try to get off? He was lightning quick as well.”

7 - Chris Judd (West Coast/Carlton)

“I played on ‘Juddy’ a lot at West Coast and in his time at Carlton.

“He also had that rare mix of speed and endurance. He changed his career (from the dynamic accelerator to the contested beast).

“The West Coast Judd was a bit more problematic than the Carlton one.”

6 - Alan Didak (Collingwood)

“Alan Didak, wasn’t he a tough opponent!

“I felt like he was just a gun that we don’t talk about enough. He was so smart and clever and tricky and crafty.

“He was really competitive and hated getting beaten. I feel like we don’t talk about Alan enough.

“He was the same draft as me, we played a lot of junior footy together, came through the ranks, and had a great friendship but also a good rivalry there.

“He just wanted to win, was very good on the lip. He’d accidentally step on your toes or accidentally pinch you, that type of stuff. I kind of respected it.”

5 - Jason Akermanis (Brisbane/Western Bulldogs)

“Difficult with that Brisbane team because there were four of them. You didn’t really know which one you were going to get.

“He could make you look stupid. A genuine gun.”

4 - Nat Fyfe (Fremantle)

“The man that was singlehandedly responsible for me retiring is Nat Fyfe.

“The day I went and tried to stop Nat Fyfe and he looked at me and said, ‘Bring your old skinny bones with me, we’re going to the goal square’.

“Next minute he cleared out the forward 50, took a contested mark, went back and slotted it, then laughed in my face. I thought ‘I’m done’.”

3 - Simon Black (Brisbane)

“The other player I also played on the most who gave me the most sleepless nights was Simon Black.

“The cleanest, best, clearance player you’ve seen. Talk about competitive - the nicest person off the field but white-line fever on it.

“He’d elbow you in the jaw, whack you in the stomach. The only time someone got reported against me was in the Grand Final for hitting me.

“Just a gun. Nothing in the game that he hasn’t done. Always on the move, never gave up, and always dug in.”

2 - Gary Ablett Jnr (Geelong/Gold Coast)

“Wherever the ball went he was there. Impossible.

“Prime Geelong days, impossible, because you had about 10 of them wanting to smash you as well, and give him the handball receives around the back.

“He didn’t need those by the way because he was good enough at getting his own footy.”

1 - Brent Harvey (North Melbourne)

“The most difficult opponent that I ever played on.

“Could turn one possession into three, could play midfield, then to half-back, then to the wing and then go forward.

“He could pretty much every position other than ruck.”

Honourable mentions: “Shoutout to Joel Selwood who was young and there was always a focus on Gary Ablett Jnr.

“But every time I played on Joel I know I needed to sleep well the night before and be absolutely switched on.

“Jason Johnson from the Bombers was a difficult opponent.

“‘Neon’ Leon Davis was a very difficult opponent. I don’t know how that happened (playing on him). He made me look stupid a couple of times.

“Shoutout to Stephen Hill who was the quickest opponent I ever played on. Speaking of wheels, didn’t that guy have wheels. He was the most beautiful looking mover you’ve ever seen.

“Shoutout to Ben Cousins, but I usually had the better of Ben. So he didn’t make the list.”