Kane Cornes says he is not a bully and will not apologise for his comments about North star Harry Sheezel and his criticism of the Kangroos after the club refused to let him be involved in a pre-game interview with coach Alastair Clarkson on Thursday night’s AFL coverage.

The Channel 7 expert this week called out Sheezel for getting “cheap” possessions and “stat-padding” while urging Clarkson to coach him harder.

He also said captain Jy Simpkin “carried on” in last week’s loss to Port Adelaide, adding he should stop “mouthing off” and start “trying to turn this footy club around” after 16 wins in six years.

Roos football boss Todd Viney accused Cornes of “inappropriate, targeted, vindictive, bullying behaviour that we as a club won’t stand for”.

“We’re open for balanced critique of our performances but when it starts to become personal it’s my responsibility to look after our people,” Viney said on Wednesday.

Viney said North “won’t be engaging with” Cornes, saying he would not be permitted to take part in an interview Clarkson prior to Thursday night’s coverage of the clash between the Roos-Bombers game and Essendon.

“I think the dangerous part about it is the provocative language they have used, the bullying I think, it very much blurs the line. This wasn’t bullying,” Cornes told 7NEWS.

“I won’t be apologising. It would have been great to have that conversation face-to-face with them.”

The Agenda Setters host also doubled down on his criticism of Clarkson.

“The Alastair Clarkson they thought they were getting was the Hawthorn version of Alastair Clarkson where he was strong enough and brave enough to front up and answer that type of criticism face-to-face and man-to-man,” he said.

“For him to runaway from criticism like this and essentially not be brave enough to answer it face-to-face with me in the change room is the most disappointing thing.

“So tune in tomorrow night to see how we cover that game, Essendon and North, and let’s see if North Melbourne can chalk up their second win of the year. Looking forward to it.”

Sheezel said while he agreed with Cornes’ overall point, it had been “a big couple of days” off the field.

“To be honest Kane is entitled to his opinion at the end of the day, it’s his role in the media. I can’t control that. Maybe it overstepped the boundary a bit,” he told SEN on Wednesday.

“I’m an AFL footballer and I’ve signed up for the scrutiny that comes with it.

“(Cornes went) maybe a little too far with some of the terms he used. Looking at what he was saying,I do agree I could have more impact on games — but I’m playing the role my coaches have assigned to me.”

“On the stat-padding side, I don’t believe in that. I’m never going to be perfect at it, I do understand what he’s saying that I could be more damaging with the ball.”

Sheezel said media attention “does hit you” but he had bounced back from this week’s scrutiny.

“The media have every right to their opinion but at the end of the day we’re all human beings,” he said.

“I hope now to just put it behind me. Let’s focus on the win, that will help me move on.

“I’ve got no bad blood with Kane, he’s entitled to his opinion — it’s his role. I have nothing against him. I’m going to focus on what I can control and move on.

“The attention has gone overboard. I want to sweep it under the rug.”

Speaking on The Agenda Setters on Monday night, St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt agreed Sheezel would “love” to increase his numbers but argued Cornes had been “way too harsh”.

“You don’t think he’s stat-padding?” Cornes replied.

Riewoldt said: “I reckon he’s the sort of bloke that if he had walked through the door at Port Adelaide, you would have loved the way he goes about it, how professional he is.”

Cornes’ 7NEWS interview came as the Kangaroos prepare to play Essendon without young gun George Wardlaw and suspended forward Paul Curtis, when they attempt to snap a five-game losing run.

Luckless midfielder Wardlaw has been ruled out for the clash at Marvel Stadium with what Clarkson described as a “pretty savage corky” that left him unable to train.

Forward Finnbar Maley will make his AFL debut after Curtis, who kicked 18 goals across seven games, was given a three-game ban for a tackle that concussed Port Adelaide’s Josh Sinn.

Viney said the club was “bitterly disappointed” Curtis’s tribunal challenge had failed but North had “zero-to-no chance of winning” an appeal hearing which would have come too close to Thursday’s game.

“We’re disappointed for our player that he’s been tarnished with this,” Viney said.

“He had the best intentions of playing the game in the right spirit and not trying to hurt the player involved.”