Kane not able as Port axes midfielder
Ashley Porter, Adelaide
August 16, 2011
THE turmoil at beleaguered Port Adelaide deepened last night with the revelation that three-time - and reigning - best and fairest Kane Cornes has been told he will not be required at the end of the season.
There are also strong moves by past players and businessmen to oust club president Brett Duncanson, replacing him with club great and 1975 Magarey medallist Peter Woite.
The Cornes fallout - in the wake of Port's record losses to Collingwood (138 points) and Hawthorn (165) - will cause further unrest **** the club's supporters.
The Age understands the 28-year-old was told after the loss to Collingwood that he would not play any part at the club next year, despite having two years to run on his contract. That was just one of a string of bruising meetings between the club's leadership and senior players preceding Saturday's abysmal showing against Hawthorn.
Other players still under contract such as Jacob Surjan and David Rodan are understood to be under extreme pressure to salvage their careers, as the club reassesses its direction following a disastrous season.
Coach Matthew Primus was interviewed on Adelaide radio last night by Cornes' father Graham and said: "Kane has a contract here and as of the moment he is a required player … no, he certainly has not been sacked or been told he has been traded."
But Primus focused on "at the moment" and there was no mention of Cornes' future as a player at Port come the end of the season.
Port insiders say that Kane's brother, Chad, was virtually forced into retirement after the Collingwood game having played just nine matches this season because Primus wanted his squad "playing as one" as part of a long-term strategy. The brothers did not fit into the mould.
Primus could also not confirm whether Kane, after 223 games and 81 goals, would be selected for Sunday's match against the Western Bulldogs at AAMI Stadium.
Meanwhile, a group of influential businessmen and past Port Adelaide players is behind a push for Woite, a retired detective superintendent with South Australian police, to replace Duncanson as president. It is understood the move has support within the SANFL, which owns Port's licence. However, AFL boss Andrew Demetriou last night backed the current Power president and SA Football Commission chief executive Leigh Whicker and Duncanson are expected to make an announcement in Adelaide today.
Woite is considered a person entrenched in the SANFL, but the group supporting him is at loggerheads with the league claiming it is the core reason for Port's deep-seated off-field problems which are breaking down the club.
The group wants the Port Adelaide Football Club returned to its traditional owners - Port people - and not predominantly run by board members appointed by the SANFL, who have been accused of having little or no idea of the culture of the club.
It is understood Woite, whose proposed appointment would be subject to approval of the SA Football Commission, will consider the move if he can have a strong say on who should be on the board with him. Bruce Abernethy's position on the board is also shaky.
The group supporting Woite want to present a case to Demetriou asking for Port's licence to be taken from the SANFL and be given to the club, and allow Port to be run like any Victorian-based club, which controls its own affairs.
The ownership of the two SA licences will be reviewed by June 30 next year, as revealed several months ago when the AFL helped Port and Adelaide with financial packages and loans. But it is understood the SA Football Commission will make the review and it will be in its best interests to retain the licences rather than sell them back to the AFL.
A report yesterday suggested that the SA Football Commission wanted to re-brand Port Adelaide by dropping "Port" from its name to be simply "Adelaide Power". This would ultimately be a decision by the AFL, not the SA Football Commission, and Demetriou last night rubbished the suggestion claiming it was "absolutely ridiculous".
Demetriou also questioned why the AFL would spend 15 years marketing the name Port Power then dump it. The revised name would also damage the branding of the Adelaide Crows, he said.
http://www.theage.com.au/AFL/AFL-news/k ... z1VBZurfIe
