Kane Cornes has left no words spared in his strong criticism of the current state of the Melbourne Football Club.
The former Port Adelaide star described the Demons as a "complete mess" while speaking on SEN Fireball.
His comments come as the club faces key departures, with star Christian Petracca reportedly wanting to leave, and Judd McVee having already requested a trade.
"I’d rather be playing at St Kilda than Melbourne – they seem a complete mess, the Dees, don’t they?" Cornes asked.
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"Their best player (Christian Petracca) wants out, (Judd) McVee is gone, who’s pulling the strings? New coach comes in… I’d rather go to the Saints.”
New Demons head coach Steven King faces a tough start to his time in the role as the club deals with the potential loss of those two key players, forcing the Demons to be active in the trade period to reshape their list.
They are strongly linked to Sam Flanders, who recently toured four Victorian clubs - Melbourne, St Kilda, Carlton and Essendon.
AFL.com.au journalist Josh Gabelich believes Melbourne is "in the box seat" to get Flanders due to his existing connection with Steven King from their shared time at the Gold Coast Suns.
"I think Melbourne is in the box seat (to acquire Flanders) because of his strong relationship with Steven King. I think that certainly helps given the time they spent at the Gold Coast Suns, he was the interim coach at the back end of two thousand twenty-three,” Gabelich said on SEN Fireball.
However, Cornes believes St Kilda is a far better option for Flanders.
“St Kilda is a better proposition for him. I’d rather be playing at St Kilda than Melbourne.” Cornes said.
Melbourne is also rumoured to be interested in Collingwood's Brody Mihocek, as they seek to strengthen their list and give their new coach a chance to stamp his own fingerprints on his side.