Nick Riewoldt reveals what it is like to work with Kane Cornes on The Agenda Setters
It takes a brave panellist to consistently disagree with Kane Cornes but one man who has no fear to take it up to the firebrand commentator on The Agenda Setters has been Nick Riewoldt.
Despite having a break from being on-air for several years, the former St Kilda skipper has returned to Channel Seven to call the footy and sit on the Agenda Setters panel on Monday nights with aplomb.
Whether it’s Nick Daicos’ fitness or Harry Sheezel’s work rate, Riewoldt has not let any opinion of Cornes he disagrees with go unchecked, making for some fiery interactions on Seven’s new AFL panel show.
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“I reckon you’re being way too harsh,” Riewoldt said.
“Branding it and calling it ‘Sheezey Ball’ ... come on, man.”
Riewoldt said he and Cornes had respect for each other and both cared passionately about the sport.
“He’s a competitor, whatever he does, when he was playing footy he got the absolute most out of himself as a player, and I think that’s true for him in the media as well,” he said.
“He’s an extremely hard worker. He’s well researched. And whether you agree with his opinions or not, whether I agree with his opinions or not, I respect the way that he is brave with his opinions and backs that up with pretty thorough research.
“I really enjoy working with him and what he brings. We don’t always agree, but I think that’s really healthy. It is a great recipe for good on air chemistry.”
Early in the season Cornes was critical of Collingwood star Daicos for being unfit after he cramped in the season-opening loss to GWS.
Riewoldt took issue with the call, but Daicos then later agreed with Cornes that some criticism had been warranted.
“The trouble with that was, I gave Nick Daicos a platform a few weeks later, and he agreed with Kane, which ruined my position,” Riewoldt joked.
“I try to not hang on to things, as when I when I go home, I try to sort of leave it at work. At the end of the day footy is a great sport that we all love. And at times you can forget how hard it actually is out there. So that’s something I try to keep in mind.”
Being back on air alongside Cornes, Caroline Wilson and Craig Hutchinson was a dream gig for the goal-kicking legend.
“It’s been liberating to be doing something completely different after 20 something years in the industry,” Riewoldt said.
“I’m really enjoying being back amongst it, and my role means that I’ve had to dive sort of head-first, back into it. Agenda Setters is great, I love it. I love what it represents, it’s punchy and it’s obviously extremely opinionated.
“We give strong opinions and we’re not afraid to disagree. I think that that makes for really compelling entertainment.
“Clearly, when you’re making strong statements, there’s a responsibility there to be well- informed and well researched, so there’s a bit involved in that as a lover of footy and as a lover of the game.”
Riewoldt led the Saints for more than a decade and played in three grand finals, including the famous drawn 2010 decider against Collingwood, but was never able to win a flag.
His former club has had an inconsistent start to the season missing several key stars, namely injured forward Max King.
They upset Geelong, but then have put in some poor performances with coach Ross Lyon losing his cool in the most recent defeat to premiers Brisbane on Saturday.
Riewoldt said he had seen good signs at Moorabbin.
“You’d like them to fix up a bit of the consistency in terms of effort. But what I’ve loved is, the way they’ve played when they’ve been at their best. They have played really attacking footy with a lot of flair, rebounding footy,” he said.
“The have the best one two-punch off half back in the competition with Jack Sinclair and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera.
“Some of the kids have been really good. They’ve done a really good job in the face of some pretty significant injuries since day one so I’ve been really impressed.”
“Ross (Lyon) has got a great ability to get the most out of players.”
