AFL Hall of Fame

Graham Cornes OAM spent a lifetime in AFL football as a successful player and coach, culminating in his admission to the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2012.

He played nearly 400 games with a variety of teams: South Adelaide, Glenelg, North Melbourne and South Australia. When Cornes’ playing career ended, he took on the role of coach at Glenelg, South Adelaide and the South Australian state side.

Cornes was the inaugural coach of the Adelaide Football Club upon its admission into the AFL in 1990. He was at the helm of the club for four years.

He was selected four times in the All-Australian team: twice a player, and twice as coach. A parochial South Australian, he has been this state’s most successful State of Origin coach. His dedication to and excellence in the AFL led to him receiving the Medal of the Order of Australia for his contributions to football.

Cornes wasn’t just a football genius. He excelled in the corporate world as well, prospering as the dealer principal of several successful automobile franchises.

He also had a fruitful career behind the microphone, spending 23 years as a radio broadcaster. Five years into his radio career he joined the sport-talk team at Fiveaa and remained there for 18 years. The show was a consistent top finisher in the Adelaide market, becoming more popular that nationally syndicated programs.

Cornes served two years in the Australian Army as an infantryman, including a tour of duty in South Vietnam in 1970.

His extensive experience in on-the-pitch and off-the-pitch leadership has made Cornes a skilled conference speaker. His presentation discusses the principles of leadership, motivation and inspiration, and he discloses the three most important components of achievement and success. Cornes’ expertise makes him an essential keynote speaker at your next conference or symposium.

His talks are always extremely well received because he combines captivating anecdotes with serious stories and engaging visual displays.

Presentation Topics Include

• Leadership
• Team Building
• Motivation
• Success

Testimonials

Graham did a fantastic job speaking at our fundraising dinner, we had great feedback from all of our guests. His talk was very relevant to the cause that we were fundraising for and he engaged extremely well with the crowd. He was the highlight of the night! 
Elders Kingscote

Graham was great. Very interesting & entertaining.
Blackwood Hire

Engaged the group well with relevant topics.
Master Locksmiths Association of Australasia

Excellent, amazing, brilliant and awesome was some of the feedback from the people who attended the evening re Graham’s speech and the band. Graham approached the topic of mental health to footballer’s, veterans and the general community in a sensitive and calm manner. You could not hear a pin drop during the speech which is very unusual for football club rooms....
Crystal Brook RSL and Crystal Brook Football Club

An absolute gentleman and generous with his time after the show, happily talking to guests
Vigour

Excellent - Graham was a confident and eloquent speaker who engaged with our audience at a personal level - he included everyone in his stories and kept the audience interested throughout.
Alzheimers Australia SA Inc

Graham fitted into the panel really well and contributed to the morning's Work-life Balance in a Modern World session and provided the audience an opportunity to hear first hand how he balances his own busy career demands with family life.
Safe Work SA

The presentation drew upon the speaker's experiences external to the RAAF, whilst still maintaining relevance to RAAF values.
Maritime Patrol System Program Office

Graham is a strong speaker who is confident and at ease in front of a large audience. 
Real Estate Institute of South Australia