Kane Cornes: The Numbers
Cornes is one of the most dedicated footballers you’ll find and the fact that 166 of his 200 games have been played in succession is testament to his attention to detail both on and off the field.
Cornes is meticulous in his preparation and follows the same pre-game and training routine whether it is February or September and started training just three days into the club’s post-season break in 2008.
He rarely drinks alcohol during the season and prefers to spend time at home with his family than go out on the town with his teammates.
His commitment to improving as a player borders on obsessive.
He hates to be (and rarely is) beaten and has been known to send the occasional late-night text message to coaches Jason Cripps and Matthew Primus dwelling on little mistakes he made during the game earlier in the day.
Cornes’ pursuit for perfection exists in nearly everything he does.
Where other players couldn’t care less how fluently they answer questions in a press conference, the astute premiership player will stop, apologise and start again if he stumbles over a word.
It’s this insatiable quest for self-betterment that saw him left out of the club’s leadership group a few years ago, but the dual All-Australian says he’s mellowed after 10 years in the game.
“I’m a bit more relaxed than I was at the start of my career. For a long time I was very intense and a little bit hard to deal with,” Cornes said during the week.
“This year I’ve become a lot more relaxed and that comes with having a family. I think putting them ahead of my footy has definitely helped me improve in that area.”
On Saturday night Cornes will become just the fifth Port Adelaide player to reach the 200-game milestone when he lines up against the Western Bulldogs at TIO Stadium in Darwin.
He will mark the occasion by running out onto the ground with sons Eddy-Jack (three), Raphael (two) and Sonny (nine months).
“It’s a fantastic milestone [200 games]. There are some great players that have played here and only five have played 200, so that’s a big thrill for me,” he said.
“It gets the family involved and makes them pretty happy, so that’s something for them to celebrate as well.”
Another trademark of Cornes’ game is his remarkable consistency.
The ball magnet has finished top three in Port Adelaide’s best and fairest award for the past six years and is one of only two Power players to have won the club’s highest individual honour twice.
He has averaged 27 possessions a game over the last five seasons and routinely lowers the colours of the best midfielders in the competition.
He hasn’t missed a game since round 17, 2003, and will be the youngest Port Adelaide player to play 200 AFL games, but says he’s not sure whether he can become the first-ever Power player to reach the 300-game milestone.
“It would be very nice, but not too many players are going to reach 300 games in the modern era because of the amount of training involved and how fast the game is," Crones said.
"My body is good. I’m only 27-years-old and I’ve got three or four years left in me I think, so we’ll see.
“I’ve been very fortunate with injuries and I realise it can change at any moment, so I don’t take it for granted.”
