Kane Cornes slams Richmond CEO Brendon Gale’s Marvel Stadium complaintThe West Australian
Fri, 14 May 2021 8:02PMAFL commentator Kane Cornes has slammed Richmond for “sooking it up” over the club’s Marvel Stadium fixture and called on the reigning premiers to speak to West Coast before they complain.
The Tigers are scheduled to play GWS in Melbourne on Saturday night, but it won’t be at their MCG home ground.
Speaking on SEN, Cornes didn’t hold back after Tigers CEO Brendon Gale’s MCG complaint, labelling their argument “ridiculous” and “comical”.
“They had the audacity via their CEO Brendon Gale to complain that this game isn’t at the MCG,” he said.
“They have had already this year six games at the MCG – six out of eight.
“It’s ridiculous that Richmond of all clubs could even think about complaining.
“Go and tell West Coast who travel four hours every second week and get them to tell you about their fixture.
“Put Richmond in their shoes and see how they go. It’s an absolute joke.”
Gale went public this week with his frustrations over having to play at Marvel Stadium.
“To have the MCG — one of the world’s great sporting stadiums — empty this weekend just makes no sense. We should be playing at the MCG,” he said.
“Playing at Marvel this weekend will minimise crowds and that goes against everything the industry wants to deliver. We want fans at games.”
But Cornes said Gale’s argument of maximising crowds by using the bigger MCG was laughable.
“When he says crowds, it’s not maximising crowds,” Cornes argued.
“Friday night against Geelong, this is the grand final rematch, you know how were there at the MCG? Fifty-four thousand.
“You reckon they’re going to get more than 50 (thousand) against GWS on Saturday night if they could only get 54 (thousand) on Friday night against the team they played in the grand final?
“It’s not about maximising crowds, it’s about the sooking it up.”
Aside from the 2020 season where all Victorian clubs were forced to relocate to Queensland due to the COVID pandemic, Richmond has enjoyed one of the best home game run of any AFL club in recent seasons.
The Tigers played 13 games at the MCG in 2019 before finals, including the last seven games of the regular season at home.
In 2018, they played 14 games at the MCG — including four of the last five home and away fixtures.
“They dominate the fixture, they get the best fixture in the history of the AFL,” Cornes said.
“The moment they don’t get what they want, they go and have a big sook to the AFL.”
Only Collingwood played more matches at the MCG in 2018 and 2019.
https://thewest.com.au/sport/afl/afl-commentator-kane-cornes-slams-richmond-ceo-brendon-gales-marvel-stadium-complaint-ng-b881873201z
