Kane Cornes has questioned North Melbourne forward Cam Zurhaar’s double standards, as he downplayed his prior scathing remarks against former teammate Jason Horne-Francis.
After leaving North Melbourne in a surprise trade at the end of 2022 to join the Power, Horne-Francis was mercilessly harassed by Kangaroos fans on social media and booed throughout the 2023 season.
In addition to the hatred he received from supporters, his former teammate, Zurhaar, was quick to criticize the young midfielder in a series of social media posts around the time of his transfer home.
In 2024, Zurhaar has downplayed the gravity of his words and the impact they had on Horne-Francis at the time.
Zurhaar’s Instagram story promotes the discounted totes. (Cam Zumhaar)
Zurhaar advertised a discount on tote bags featuring the words “Hornet” – Horne-Francis’ nickname – and captioned the photo “Hornetgone”.
In addition, he reacted with a fire emoji on North Melbourne’s tweet, confirming that the youngster had been formally traded out.
“It was friendly banter that got blown out of proportion like every other story,” he stated on Triple M’s Footy Talk podcast.
“That’s the truth of social media; you can’t say anything right now. You can’t speak too loudly or someone will bring you down.”
Now, Cornes has stated that Zurhaar is in the same position as Horne-Francis was two seasons ago, as the 25-year-old considers his future with the Kangaroos.
“Isn’t he backing away from those comments pretty quickly,” Cornes asked on Nine’s “Footy Classified” on Monday night.
Zurhaar has refused to sign a contract to extend his tenure with the blue and white, fueling curiosity over where he would end up in 2025.
His 2024 season has likewise been disappointing for the forward, with an average of only 12.7 disposals per game.
“I’m not sure a player has harmed their reputation more than him this year,” Cornes stated about Zurhaar.
“How he kept on after Horne-Francis left. The fact that we’re almost halfway through the season and he hasn’t committed to the football club where he was so critical of his teammate’s departure.
“Then his performance. I’m simply not sure he’s fit enough and truly dedicated to the North Melbourne football club, given the manner he’s playing right now.”
Where are they now? Looking back at every AFL No. 1 draft pick since 2000.
Cornes has issued a “big warning” to rival clubs that may be interested in his services by the end of 2024.
“It will be a big warning for another club if you want to go after Cam Zurhaar and what you might get,” he stated.
The Roos are 18th on the ladder and winless after ten rounds.
Leave a Reply