Kane Cornes says he was surprised by comments made by Jack Lukosius after he re-signed with the Gold Coast Suns last week.
The 19-year-old South Australian committed to the Suns until the end of the 2022 season, despite the assumption that he would head back to his home state after seeing out his initial two seasons on the Gold Coast.
Lukosius told the Herald Sun that escaping the footy bubble in Adelaide played a key role in making up his mind.
"My mate Connor Rozee plays for Port Adelaide and his life has completely changed," Lukosius said.
"He is stopped going out for dinner, so you need to take the good for the bad.
"It’s a great lifestyle here and all the players have brought in."
Speaking on SEN SA Breakfast, Cornes addressed the subject by questioning Lukosius’ reasoning.
"What he did say sort of caught me by surprise. Maybe I’m reading too much into it," Cornes said.
"So in essence, the article was about his time spent with Connor Rozee and the fact he can’t come back to the Adelaide fish bowl because he gets recognised, he gets stopped going out for tea, there’s the pressure of that.
"I thought, ‘Jack, is that really what you want?’ You really want to hide away at the Gold Coast where you play for a very ordinary team, no one is going to recognise you and you don’t want to come back and play for a Victorian club or an Adelaide club because you are going to get recognised going out for tea?
"What did he expect when he signed up playing AFL footy?
"Am I stretching there or is that a sign that perhaps in some way, he’s just not cut out for life as an AFL footballer?"
Cornes continued, referencing Richmond’s Dustin Martin who is a reluctant superstar, as well as calling on some words from his former Power coach Mark Williams.
"I just think it’s very easy for these youngsters to hide up there on the Gold Coast for 4, 6, 7 years of their career," Cornes added.
"Yes, they’ll make great money, but to play for a poor club and not have the career you thought you could get.
"If he’s worried about getting recognised… Dustin Martin gets recognised. You can tell Dusty doesn’t want to get recognised but he’s just learnt to live with it. That’s what happens when you play for a great club and you are a good player.
"Mark Williams used to have this saying about some players in the AFL, he’d say they’re just nice guys, and what he was saying was a compliment in a way but also having a bit of a dig. You’ve got to have some mongrel in you to play AFL.
"Does Jack Lukosius have that mongrel in him to see him reach the potential he has got?
"I was a bit alarmed when I read that quote."
Lukosius was taken with pick two in last year’s draft and played 21 games for the Suns in his debut AFL season, averaging 11.3 disposals and 4.3 marks.