Charlie Curnow’s start to life at Sydney Swans has been “dire”, AFL pundit Kane Cornes has claimed in a furious rant.
The forward, 29, has struggled since joining from Carlton and looked in difficulty during the Swans’ 100-68 win over Gold Coast on Saturday.
And on Monday, Cornes believed it was time to call out Curnow as he took aim at his underwhelming opening with the table toppers.
Speaking on Channel 7, he said: “I’ve had enough. I hear that Charlie Curnow wants to be a role player. You don’t give up three first-round picks, two much-loved players for a role player.
“You’re not a role player. You are a marquee forward, like the Swans have always gone and got. They didn’t sign up for a role player.”
Cornes used a number of statistics to illustrate his reasoning — including Curnow’s averages which are 10.2 disposals, 1.8 goals and 4.4 marks.
Comparing those figures with other lower-profile forwards, Cornes added: “(Cooper Trembath) is beating him in marks. He’s beating him in goals (averaging 2.0 to Curnow’s 1.8).
“Look, the numbers stack up for an eight-gamer who was playing VFL footy last year. (North) got him in a mid-season pick. Cooper Trembath is outscoring Charlie Curnow, the marquee man at the Swans.”
Despite Curnow’s underwhelming performances, the Swans still sit top of the AFL with four wins from five games.
Their only defeat came last month when they were beaten 99-82 by Hawthorn.
However, Cornes believes the Swans will not be able to claim premiership success this season without a firing Curnow.
“These (Curnow) numbers are dire,” Cornes added: “I know it’s early, but he needs to lift. The Swans need him to lift.
“So this is a big story unfolding this year. It hasn’t worked yet, and it needs to get going if the Swans are going to win the premiership this year.”
