Port Adelaide legend Kane Cornes has questioned St Kilda and the AFL’s decision to take games to North Queensland, declaring the Saints’ one-point loss to the Power on Saturday night was the “worst game of football” he has seen this year.
In hot and humid conditions in Cairns’ Cazalys Stadium, neither side could score any more than five goals, with St Kilda notching 18 behinds and Port Adelaide hitting 13 in the 43-42 result that went in favour of the South Australian side.
The Saints, who now sit on five wins and two losses, have lost back-to-back games in Cairns after going down to the Crows by six points last year at the same venue.
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With both occurrences at Cazalys Stadium being home games for St Kilda, Cornes was left scratching his head why the AFL and the club would want to take games away from Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium.
“There is a significant margin for error and it can come back to haunt you if you sell one of your games and lose… the worst game of football I’ve seen this year in those conditions in Cairns,” he said on Nine’s AFL Sunday Footy Show.
“Vol-Kane-o for the AFL firstly for allowing them to play there in those conditions. You can’t be having this year after year.
“The big Vol-Kane-o is for the Saints, who haven’t won a premiership in 56 years. They’re 5-1 going into this game, and I’m telling you there’s no way they lose this game at Marvel Stadium.
“They’re not kicking four goals and 18 behinds at Marvel Stadium.
“Why are they selling games when the price of playing finals and winning premierships surely outweighs the dollar figure for that.”
Cornes’ comments found support in Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd.
Lloyd listed several venues the AFL visits from time to time before conceding that he struggles to remember “quality” games at those locations.
“The quality of the games in Ballarat, the wind, can we remember a good game in Ballarat?” Lloyd added.
“Cairns, Darwin, the games in Shanghai, New Zealand, can anyone remember one [good game]?
“Even games in Canberra at times I have asked the question.
“While it’s great for fans to share the game around, and it’s good for clubs to earn money, it’s hard to remember a quality game.”