- Channel 9 didn’t send Tony Jones to London
- Network explained it is ‘optimising resources’
Polarising footy commentator Kane Cornes has been labelled a ‘smart arse’ after he questioned why Tony Jones was axed from Channel Nine’s Wimbledon coverage.
The free-to-air network sent Todd Woodbridge, Jelena Dokic, Alicia Molik and Sam McClure to London – but Jones will be watching the action from the All England Club in Melbourne.
Cornes asked why Nine’s Sunday Footy Show didn’t address the elephant in the room last weekend – and it comes after Jones’ infamous comments about Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open in January which generated global headlines.
‘What about my man, TJ. He’s not going to Wimbledon,’ Cornes said on SEN on Monday morning.
‘TJ has been going for years and he loves it, and does a very good job, no one does it better actually.
‘It’s because of the incident at the Australian Open, I believe….that’s not what they (Nine) are saying (though). Scoop McClure is going, he got the gig.
Polarising footy commentator Kane Cornes has been labelled a ‘smart a**e’ after he questioned why Tony Jones (pictured) was axed from Channel Nine’s Wimbledon coverage
The free-to-air network pointed to ‘optimising resources’ in London as the reason for the decision, but the always-outspoken Cornes (pictured) wasn’t having it
Journalist Damien Barrett (pictured) responded to Cornes stirring the pot on the The Sounding Board podcast
‘But that’s not really what I’m interested in talking about. It’s the fact it wasn’t mentioned on the Sunday Footy Show.’
Journalist Damien Barrett responded to Cornes stirring the pot on the The Sounding Board podcast.
‘TJ clearly wanted to go to Wimbledon,’ he said.
‘We (at times) do hang it on each other….but there was no reason to (this time).
‘You (could) come off the top and go, ‘oh, TJ, you’re not going to Wimbledon.
‘(But) where’s that going for two hours? And what benefit is that to a footy show audience that really wants to know about why games were won and lost on a weekend anyway?
‘So Kane’s just being Kane… he was being a smart a**e.’
It comes after Cornes sensationally defected to Channel Seven last year from Nine.
And come Thursday night, plenty of eyes will be on Cornes when the Kangaroos take on the Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium.
North Melbourne have refused to conduct interviews with Cornes after feeling the premiership winner bullied North Melbourne duo Harry Sheezel and captain Jy Simpkin about their on-field input.
When it comes to the Western Bulldogs, the tension is obvious between fiery coach Luke Beveridge and Cornes.
