Kane Cornes slams Port Adelaide as ‘list-clogger haven’ following links to Jaidyn Stephenson

Channel 7 commentator Kane Cornes slammed Port Adelaide for considering recruiting Jaidyn Stephenson.

Having played 300 games for the Power, Cornes was highly critical of his former side after what he claimed were some questionable recruitment decisions.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Stephenson opens up on retirement decision.

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In the recent trade period, Port Adelaide brought in Corey Durdin from Carlton, Will Brodie from Fremantle and Jacob Wehr from GWS.

Durdin and Wehr were both regulars at their former clubs, but Brodie has only played five games in the past two seasons and didn’t manage a single senior game this year.

“Not sure that’s going to happen, surely not,” Cornes said of the Stephenson link

“The worst thing I saw was the article of Port Adelaide considering Jaidyn Stephenson on their list.”

Jaidyn Stephenson has been linked to Port Adelaide Credit: AAP

Cornes hopes the new regime under rookie coach Josh Carr don’t mull over the 26-year-old former Collingwood and North Melbourne forward.

“Hopefully it’s just for a train-on spot and they’re not seriously considering him,” he said.

“It’s list-cloggers haven at Port Adelaide at the moment.

“There’s (Corey) Durdin, we’ve got Will Brodie, we’ve got Jacob Wehr, and I’m just not sure what’s happening there.”

After walking away from the game at 25, Stephenson has expressed his desire to rejoin AFL ranks at a third club.

Stephenson retired from the AFL last year despite having another season to run on his contract at Arden Street.

He received a payout for a portion of his 2025 wage.

Stephenson returned to local club Ferntree Gully and booted 38 goals in the Eastern Football League Division 3 this year.

In September, 7NEWS revealed that Stephenson himself was initiating contact with potential clubs.

Drafted by Collingwood at the end of 2017, Stephenson burst onto the scene in his debut season, kicking 38 goals to win the Rising Star award.

He departed Collingwood at the end of 2020 and played four seasons at North Melbourne and retired on 122 AFL games.

Stephenson recently opened up on his decision to retire, telling 7NEWS.com.au podcast What Could’ve Been that he lost the passion to play.

“I had games where I had 24 (disposals) and kicked three, and then you come out of your game review, and I felt pretty flat,” Stephenson said.

“It was like, ‘I’ve done this wrong and I’ve done that wrong’ — is it because we lost or is it actually what it is? I don’t know, everything just seemed to be amplified, and I obviously didn’t deal with it well enough, and it did just start to weigh and weigh and weigh.

“Eventually I just didn’t want to be there — fell out of love with it, was over it. It was tough.”