IT TAKES a special player to have the ability and nerve to thrive in the heat of a close Grand Final. Graham Cornes was such a player.

In the 1973 SANFL Grand Final, Glenelg had led for most of the day before North Adelaide overhauled the Bays in the final minutes. Then, in an extraordinary example of seizing the moment, Cornes threw himself at a pack in the Bays' forward pocket and took a spectacular mark.

Glenelg had not won a premiership since 1934. Cornes lined up from a tight angle on the wrong side for a right-footer. Neil Kerley, Cornes's coach through his first decade at Glenelg, said it was like a golfer needing to sink a 10m putt to win the Masters.

Cornes slotted the goal. Glenelg won the day. Cornes's role in a match regarded among the best in Australian Football is part of the game's folklore.

That dramatic outcome encapsulated Cornes's many attributes. He showed athleticism, skill, the ability to grasp the moment and a liking for the big stage.

Cornes was often - and is still - known as 'Studley', his middle name. In his early years at Glenelg the players called him 'Smiley'. The centre half-forward was a well-loved figure around the club.

In 1969 and 1970, when Cornes was serving in the army, he was brought into the Glenelg team for the finals. He said the army taught him to push his body to its limits.

In 1979, when Cornes was 31, he played five games with North Melbourne before being dropped and heading back to Adelaide. He regards his days at Arden Street among his career highlights because he got to play in one of the most talented teams ever assembled.

Soon after returning to Adelaide he won the Simpson Medal for his part in a rare win by South Australia against Western Australia in Perth.

In 1985, after a stint as playing coach at South Adelaide, Cornes coached Glenelg to a premiership. The next year he did it again.

In 1991 he was named inaugural coach of new AFL club Adelaide. His favourite victory during his four years in charge was the club's first game, the famous flogging of Hawthorn, when a summer's planning bore delicious fruit.

Besides playing and coaching, Cornes has had a long career in the media. It began as a newspaper columnist and later as a breakfast show host. For the past 18 years he's been a high-profile broadcaster with radio station 5AA.

One of Cornes's greatest thrills was seeing Mark Ricciuto win the 2003 Brownlow Medal. Cornes had coached Ricciuto when he joined the Crows at 17.

As a player, Cornes was always involved. He was always engaged. He gave a two-finger salute to Norwood supporters. He waved to Port Adelaide fans at Alberton. A woman assailed him after a match against West Torrens. Cornes said it was all part of the way he enjoyed his football.

Kerley said opposition supporters called Cornes a "Fancy Dan lair".  "But he was no Fancy Dan lair. He was just a brilliant player."