By Rebecca Mills
The Greater Western Sydney GIANTS will celebrate two exciting milestones against Hawthorn at the MCG this Sunday.
Chad Cornes will line up in his 250th AFL game and Kevin Sheedy will become the first person in history to participate in 900 premiership games.
GIANTS CEO David Matthews congratulated both men on their achievements at a press conference at training on Wednesday.
“For us to be able to celebrate the milestones of Chad Cornes and Kevin Sheedy is very significant, both for ourselves and for the game,” Matthews said.
“The coach who racks up milestones on a regular basis over such a long career, on Sunday becomes the first person in VFL-AFL history to reach 900 games as a player and a coach.
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“In our game against Port Adelaide, he’ll actually register his 1000th game if you include international rules, state of origin and pre-season games.”
After spending 13 years at Port Adelaide, Cornes said his new role as a player and coach at the GIANTS had been a challenging and rewarding one this year.
“It’s been great. 250 games is something I always wanted to do. It didn’t look I was going to get there the last couple of years, so to get the chance at the GIANTS is something I’m really grateful for,” he said.
“Coaching is something I never really thought I’d do and didn’t really have an interest in until this year. Being an extra voice out there and helping the young guys have been great. I’m getting into a lot more than I thought, so who knows what will happen down the track.”
Cornes said he would love to play on as a GIANT next year and continue his learning curve with the newest club in the AFL. “The body is feeling pretty good at this stage so if the club wants me to play on, and we’ve had a brief discussion about it, I would love to.”
