Adam Cooney won the Brownlow Medal in 2008 and handed Gary Ablett his medal in 2009, although not every meeting between the pair was as civilised as that one.

In a match-up between Ablett and Cooney during the former Dogย and Bomber's career, the pair traded sledges on the field, and Cooney opened up to SEN about the incident itself, amidst a week fueled with speculation over Ablett's playing future.

โ€œI had a crack to him about his mansion and how the boys were winning no games,โ€ Cooney said.

โ€œHe just went on this tirade for about five minutes about how Iโ€™ve been overall so disappointing as a player to watch and so inconsistent throughout my career. He really took it personally that I hadnโ€™t come along the way that I should have.

โ€œHe was really upset about it, saying โ€˜Geez, youโ€™ve been disappointing as a player, Coonsโ€™.

โ€œItโ€™s like heโ€™s been waiting to say it for three or four years and he finally got the opportunity and just unloaded on me.โ€

โ€œAt the end of the day I shook hands with him, I said, โ€˜You got the better of that exchange, didnโ€™t you?โ€™โ€ Cooney said.

โ€œHe was like: โ€˜Oh nah I was only mucking around, mate.โ€™ But, he wasnโ€™t.โ€

Ablett found in ally this week in his Gold Coast Suns coach Rodney Eade who labelled criticism of him as grossly unfair.