Kane Cornes has labelled Geelong’s Mad Monday antics “disrespectful” and “embarrassing”, after a slew of social media posts raised eyebrows across the AFL community, including one referencing his Seven colleague Caroline Wilson.
Cats star Bailey Smith posted a picture with teammate Max Holmes dressed as award-winning journalist Wilson with the caption “Caro has never looked better” with a water emoji. It was quickly deleted but had already been widely circulated across social media.
“Imagine Max Holmes thinking it’s a good idea to disrespect a legend of Australian football media in Caroline Wilson and trying to ridicule her,” former Port Adelaide player Cornes said on SEN Trade Radio.
“And have a photo of that and put the captain alongside of it.”
‘Makes you a loser’: Brown hits out at Cats players over Mad Monday post
Holmes has gone as media personalities in past Geelong Mad Mondays, dressing up as SEN’s Gerard Whateley in 2023 and Channel 7’s Mitch Cleary in 2024.
These were widely received by the footballing community as in good taste, however, many took issue with the posting of the Wilson outfit.
Smith’s post came just weeks after he apologised by text to Geelong Advertiser photographer Alison Wynd for verbally abusing her at an open training session.
Members of the AFL’s LGBTQIA+ community also took issue with another Instagram post from Smith, which referenced Brokeback Mountain while he and captain Patrick Dangerfield were hugging.
“This is what losing a granny does to you,” Smith wrote.
Mitch Brown, the first AFL player to publicly reveal he is bisexual, joked via his own social media post: “Just for the record Heath Ledger’s way hotter”.
He then added, “In all seriousness though, guys do better”.
“Last time I checked, losing a grand final doesn’t make you gay, but being homophobic definitely makes you a loser.”
Bailey Smith and Patrick Dangerfield pose during Geelong’s Mad Monday celebrations. (Instagram)
Chief executive of Pride Cup Hayley Conway told ABC News Breakfast it was disappointing to see jokes that centred around sexuality still featured at Mad Monday celebrations.
“My first reaction is how disappointing it is to see people using the experiences of gay and bisexual men — which is what the film Brokeback Mountain is about — as a punchline in a joke when they should be out celebrating what was really a pretty terrific season for the Geelong Cats,” Conway said.
“Any joke like this has a really meaningful and deep impact on people. It stops them from coming out, it stops them from being true to who they are.
“LGBTQI young people have a six times higher rate of suicide than their straight peers. I think if we weigh that up, is it about the importance of a young person and their dignity and their self-respect or is it about our ability to tell a joke that we feel is funny — to me, that is not an equation at all.”
Cornes also took issue with Brad Close, who dressed up as fanatical Geelong supporter “Catman”.
“I thought that was one of the more embarrassing days at the Geelong footy club that I’ve seen in a while,” Cornes said.
“They’ve owned this space for a long time, but at some point, you have just got to say, it’s not book week, we’re not in year five.”