Kane Cornes has fired back after the controversial media pundit was black-banned by North Melbourne, accusing coach Alastair Clarkson of ‘run[ning] away from criticism’.

The Kangaroos revealed on Wednesday they had rejected a request from broadcaster Channel Seven to have Clarkson interviewed by Cornes and former great Luke Hodge before the club’s clash with Essendon on Thursday night, in the wake of what they considered ‘vindictive, bullying’ comments from Cornes regarding captain Jy Simpkin and young star Harry Sheezel.

Cornes derided Simpkin over a verbal stoush with Port Adelaide gun – and Cornes favourite – Jason Horne-Francis during the Kangaroos’ loss to the Power.

“He’s won 16 games in six years, and I’d be just shutting my mouth and trying to turn this footy club around,” he said, while staunchly defending Horne-Francis’ role in the stoush.

He was equally critical of Sheezel winning easy disposals in the back half, describing it as ‘Sheezy-ball’.

“Over nearly two and a half years, there’s been some real personal attacks on the club, vindictive attacks that we feel have been unwarranted,” Kangaroos football general manager Todd Viney said of Cornes.

“We believe some of the commentary from Kane, particularly earlier this week with a couple of our players in Jy Simpkin and Harry Sheezel, overstepped the line … inappropriate, targeted, vindictive, bullying behaviour that we as a club won’t stand for.”

Viney added he was ‘not holding [his] breath on an apology’, which proved accurate when Cornes doubled down on his criticism in a response on 7 News Melbourne, saying Viney’s use of ‘provocative language’ in describing him as a ‘bully’ wasn’t on.

“I think the dangerous part about it is the provocative language that they’ve used – so, ‘bully’,” Cornes said.

“I think that very much blurs the lines. This wasn’t bullying.”

Cornes added that Clarkson during his successful stint as coach of Hawthorn from 2005-2021, which netted four premierships, wouldn’t have shied away from an interview.

“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 run away from criticism like this, and essentially not be brave enough to answer it face to face with me in the changeroom, is the most disappointing thing.”

Cornes has provided expert commentary on Seven’s Thursday night coverage this season, having made a high-profile swap from rival network Nine, which is not an official AFL broadcaster, at the end of 2024.

The Kangaroos’ clash with the Bombers is their final game for 2025 in the timeslot that has been officially scheduled, with the league yet to pencil in the second half of the season.