'Fat club': Kane Cornes takes aim at 'out of shape' Eagle Elliot Yeo
Former Port Adelaide player Kane Cornes has questioned the fitness of Elliot Yeo after describing West Coast's two-time All-Australian as "out of shape".
Yeo struggled for the Eagles in Saturday's chastening 84-point loss to Port Adelaide that saw the Power jump off the bottom of the ladder.
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Port banked their first win of the year with a 18.9 (117) to 4.9 (33) romp at Adelaide Oval, with Yeo making little impact for the Eagles before a concussion ended his match prematurely.
Yeo managed just four disposals and three tackles before being subbed out of the match in the second quarter, following a head collision.
However, Cornes took issue with the player's apparent lack of match fitness after questioning how Yeo "presented himself" before the match even got underway.
“I’m really conscious of the fact you can’t label an AFL player overweight now for the backlash that will come with that, but I was watching Elliot Yeo’s performance on the weekend and his lack of impact in the game,” Cornes said on Nine's Footy Classified on Monday night.
“His standards have slipped at West Coast... I reckon across the board standards have slipped and he shouldn’t playing if he presents like that.
“That could be one of the reasons West Coast are in the position they’re in.
“He is always injured. He has to get fitter.
“I think some players can present as full-time athletes, when their body is their one tool, better than they have... he looked out of shape to me.
“We used to call it ‘fat club’ (at Port Adelaide) if you’re above 60 skin folds. Once you get into the AFL system your body is your only weapon. You have to hold yourself to elite standards.”
Essendon great Matthew Lloyd agreed with the brutal reality check from Cornes, adding: “You’re a full-time professional, so you can stay that fit even if you’re not playing AFL football.”
Brisbane Lions great Jonathan Brown also questioned why Yeo's standards had dropped over the last few years.
“I‘m a big fan of Elliot, I played with him as a teammate and he was an up and coming star at Brisbane before he went to West Coast, I’m concerned though,” Brown said on Monday evening.
“We haven‘t seen the real Elliot Yeo for the better part of three years now.
“I just hope we can see the best of Elliot Yeo again, because for three years we‘ve missed it.”
West Coast's season 'slipping away'
West Coast, in the mire in 17th spot with one win, scored with a Jamie Cripps goal in the first minute. But they didn't manage another until Josh Kennedy's snap three minutes into the final term.
In that barren Eagles period, Port booted 10 consecutive majors including seven in a stunnning 25-minute burst in the second term.
Eagles coach Adam Simpson admitted after the match that the "season is well and truly slipping away."
The Eagles have been battered by a perfect storm of issues: Covid-19 crises and injuries have cruelled Simpson's selections.
"There's some guys who you have got no choice but to get them fit through playing footy," he said.
"But that's not an excuse.
"We have moved on from that and there will be some residual from what we went through.
"But we can't sit here every week and say 'oh we have had a tough run'. So we have got to own it.
'We are still missing six of our starting 22 but that's not really Covid-related, it's injuries and return to play so that's not an excuse (either)."
with AAP
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