Port Adelaide champion Kane Cornes has called out Melbourne for what he deems to be extremely poor management of star Clayton Oliver’s hamstring injury.
It comes after vision was released on Wednesday showing Oliver in a heated discussion at training, with Melbourne’s head of strength and conditioning Selwyn Griffith.
Barely 24 hours later, the Demons confirmed the 25-year-old had suffered another injury setback, with the three-time All-Australian midfielder now expected to miss up to another month of footy.
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“I can’t remember an injury that has been managed this poorly,” Cornes said on SEN.
“Clearly we’re not medical experts and this sounds like a complicated one. There was an infection and a blister, but I don’t know what was going on.”
Cornes went on to further blast the 2021 premiers, who sit fourth on the AFL ladder this season, saying he is unsure if Oliver will play again in 2023.
“The management of his injury has been a disaster and whether he gets back this year, I’ve got no idea,” he said.
Other experts across the game have downplayed the heated exchange between Oliver and Griffith that may allude to more serious issues within the Demons camp.
Geelong great Jimmy Bartel said such friction was a part of every normal workplace.
“I don’t see the big deal. I don’t have an issue,” Bartel told Nine’s Footy Classified on Wednesday night.
Cornes still believes the Demons and other AFL clubs owe it to their fans and the wider community to be transparent when it comes to updates on player injuries.
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”The transparency from the football club has been a disgrace,” Cornes said.
“This is another example of clubs just treating their fans like fools.”
Melbourne face a fifth-placed St Kilda at Marvel Stadium on Saturday, vying to keep their spot in the top four.
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