Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes has slammed Carlton coach David Teague, stating he is too friendly to his players and it has negatively affected the team.
Despite being an outside chance for a top eight spot before their game against Adelaide on Sunday, the Blues conceded the first five goals of the game and eventually lost by 16 points which ended their finals hopes.
What really rubbed Cornes the wrong way after the loss however, was the retiring Crow Bryce Gibbs being chaired off after the game by former Blues teammates Kade Simpson and Marc Murphy despite the loss.
โThey can stand there like all the other clubs would do and clap him off with a guard of honour,โ he said on Channel 9โs Footy Classified.
โThis is a player that wanted to leave. If youโve really got killer instinct and youโre disappointed about missing the finals and rebuilding for the 20th straight year, you donโt stand there and chair off a player who wanted to leave your club to chase a premiership only a two or three years prior.
โEven David Teagueโs comment, I would have just loved for him to say, โI didnโt like it and I spoke to my players about we wonโt be doing that againโ.
โHe is noncommittal with that and I think thereโs a problem with trying to be friends with the playing group.
โI think heโs got terrific attributes, he can be an attacking coach, which weโre craving for, but at the moment he is too nice on this playing group and he lacks the killer instinct of a Clarko, Chris Scott or Chris Fagan that weโve seen this year.โ
Teague himself publicly shared his reservations with the gesture by his players, stating it felt "weird" at Sunday's post-game press conference.
โI get it, but there was a little part of me that thought Iโm not sure about this to be honest,โ he said.
โItโs a hard moment in terms of we had just lost a game of footy, but you want to respect someone thatโs been a great player of the game. Next time, Iโd like to do it after a win.โ
Fellowย Footy Classifiedย panelist Caroline Wilson also shared similar thoughts to Cornes.
โIโm sorry, call me old fashioned. I found it extraordinary to see two Carlton footballers, albeit two of his closest mates carry Bryce Gibbs off the ground,โ she said.
โIโm not going to arrest anyone. I thought it looked very odd.โ
Cornes also strongly criticised footage of Blues players smiling after the loss, saying this was Teague's attitude rubbing off on his players.
โIโm not sure thatโs the language that Carlton supporters would want. I think his softly, softly trying to be friends with the players approach is rubbing off. These scenes after the game, if I was a Carlton fan, Iโd be furious at this,โ he said.
โYou missed an opportunity to play finals and concede the first five goals against the wooden spoon side after seven goals against Sydney last week.
โIt is filtering through during the gameโฆ the nicely approach I think is filtering through the group and they just lack killer instinct.โ
