Adam Cooney Biography

Retired Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney says abuse from Twitter trolls affected his form at Essendon.

"Particularly at Essendon, when I would get a lot of criticism about my kicking … and I started to read a lot of it (social media criticism), I think it did start to affect my kicking," Cooney told SEN radio.

"Once I read so many times about how I was a terrible kick – and I've been a pretty reasonable kick for the first part of my career – I started to think about it a lot more.

"In games, if I would miss a kick, at the time I would be thinking, 'Jeez, I'm going to cop it for that later'."

Cooney played 31 matches in his time at the Bombers and struggled to capture the form that saw him become one of the gun midfielders in the competition, with a degenerative knee hampering him.

"My first year at Essendon and the start of this year at Essendon, I would dread checking my Twitter after a game because I knew that there would be a barrage of abuse. A lot of the Essendon supporters were pretty ruthless on me," he said.

"I used to get a little apprehensive checking my Twitter after a game."

Adam Cooney announces that 2016 will be his last season as he prepares for his 250th AFL match against his old side, the Western Bulldogs.

"I feel very fortunate to have been able to play the game I love at the highest level, and I've made plenty of great mates along the way," Cooney said.

"After many tough pre-seasons, gruelling training sessions, a few injuries and plenty of wonderful memories, I'm looking forward to the next chapter of my life."

Adam Cooney's future at Essendon is up in the air as the Bombers wait for some of its suspended players to confirm whether they will return to the club once their anti-doping bans end.

Cooney has had a better second season with the Bombers after struggling with injuries in 2015, but remains out of contract at the end of this year.

"I had a discussion with 'Coons' maybe a month ago about his future, but we left that pretty open at that stage," Essendon coach John Worsfold said.

"We're in a unique situation in terms of our list management. We've never been in this situation before – no club has.

"So timelines are very hard to get a handle on, and how many players that we need to move off our list at the end of the year to move forward is a real unknown for us."

Adam Cooney will wait until the end of the season before deciding if he will seek another contract with the Bombers.

"Certainly my form has been building, but I still want to be playing really good footy towards the end of the year to think about playing on," Cooney said.

"I've got to try and get through this year first ... there's still a long way to go."

Adam Cooney admits that the 2015 season, his first at Essendon after 11 at the Western Bulldogs, didn't pan out the way he had planned or hoped.

"It was really disappointing. It was the least amount of games I've ever played in a season," Cooney said.

"I did a hamstring in round three, came back after about four weeks and then did my other hamstring and missed a few more weeks. I came back in, played a few more games, got reported and suspended, the coach left and then I had surgery on my ankle. It wasn't a great year."

Adam Cooney will undergo ankle surgery and miss the remaining three matches of the season.

Cooney had been struggling in recent matches and has decided to have arthroscopic surgery to ensure he is ready for the start of pre-season training.

"Adam's got a surface cartilage injury in his ankle," Essendon club doctor Bruce Reid said.

"He's been playing with some limitation from this and some pain.

"We've made the decision to get this fixed now to ensure he is right for the start of pre-season."

Greater Western Sydney chief executive Dave Matthews has launched a scathing attack on the one-week suspension handed to Essendon's Adam Cooney for his bump on Giant Stephen Coniglio.

With less than five minutes to play in last week's match at Spotless Stadium, and with GWS leading by 33 points, the Bomber charged off the centre square and clashed with Coniglio, who was left dazed for several minutes.

"Quite simply, what (Adam) Cooney did to (Stephen) Coniglio is unacceptable, and if you want to send that message then it's got to be more than one week," Matthews said.

The young Giant was helped from the field by medical staff and will miss this week's crucial clash against Port Adelaide on Saturday.

"I didn't like it, the game is tougher than it's ever been, but there's no room for that.

"Stephen Coniglio (is) a real ball player and it was even more necessary given the state of the game.

"When I was told that it was a one-week penalty I thought it was a joke, I thought someone was having a lend of me.

"That is significant unders."

Adam Cooney has escaped with a one-match ban at the Tribunal on Tuesday night, using last-minute evidence from Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade to soften his penalty.

Cooney, who was found guilty of rough conduct for his high bump on Stephen Coniglio, received a glowing character reference from Eade, potentially reducing the sanction.

The Brownlow medallist, who played under Eade at the Western Bulldogs between 2005 and 2011, will now be available to return against Eade's Suns in round 22.

"He was always a ball player and I find what has happened out of character for him," Eade said.

"He focused on the ball and focused on playing to the best of his ability ... there are very few like that."

Bombers football manager Neil Craig says Adam Cooney will be a key player for the club after the former Bulldog's three-goal debut in the black and red.

"He brings a point of difference to our midfield with the way he plays," Craig said.

"He has some real - and I'm talking serious - running power that can really spook the opposition when he starts to the receive the ball.

"He'll be a very important player for the footy club."

Adam Cooney estimates his once-troublesome knee feels 70 per cent better than it did two years ago, when he had almost written off his AFL career.

"It used to blow up after training and games and it would take two or three days to go down, which was half the battle at times when you have to get it drained," Cooney said.

"But I don't get any swelling now, and it fast-tracks my recovery because I can get moving a lot quicker than I used to.

"The way it's improved has surprised me. And so has the amount of work I've been able to do this pre-season, because I've upped the training levels again and I'm doing more than what I thought I would."

Adam Cooney says a decision to leave the Bulldogs after 11 seasons and 219 games was reached when he met with then coach Brendan McCartney and list manager Jason McCartney.

"We had a really good chat about where I was at, and both parties felt change was probably needed to get the best out of myself for the remainder of my career," Cooney said.

"It was bittersweet, but I think for both parties it was best that I moved on. It will fast-track the development of some of the kids at the Bulldogs, open up a couple of spots in their midfield, so it's good for both parties."

Adam Cooney becomes a Bomber after the Western Bulldogs agreed to trade him in the dying hours of the 2014 NAB AFL Trade Period.

The deal was done in the dying hours of the NAB AFL Trade Period and only became possible after Essendon finalised its drawn-out negotiations with Port Adelaide over Patrick Ryder by accepting picks No. 17 and No. 37 in exchange for the disgruntled ruckman.

The Bombers passed on pick No.37 to the Bulldogs for the 29-year-old Cooney, who will depart the Whitten Oval after 219 games in 11 seasons.

Cooney was convinced to join Essendon rather than North Melbourne because of his relationship with James Hird and his desire to play under the returning Dons coach.

"They really hit it off and he wanted to play for him," Essendon list manager Adrian Dodoro said about Cooney's relationship with Hird.

"Our indoor facility was something Adam was really impressed with because of the sponginess of the floor."

Kieran Harper has emerged as a key part of the deal North Melbourne is putting together in an attempt to lure Western Bulldog Adam Cooney to Arden Street.

Harper, 22, has completed a medical test with the Bulldogs and is open to the possibility of a change of club after struggling with injury and form over the past two seasons.

Adam Cooney meets with North Melbourne officials to discuss a possible move to Arden Street.

Carlton has refused the Western Bulldogs' offer of including 2008 Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney in a trade for Bulldogs key forward Liam Jones.

The Bulldogs had proposed packaging Jones and Cooney together as part of a trade that would have seen them claim the Blues' second-round draft pick, No. 28.

Speaking to NAB AFL Trade Radio, Carlton head of football operations Andrew McKay ruled out luring Cooney to Visy Park.

"No, he's not (a player of interest). There's been a lot of things said about Adam for two days now," McKay said.

"But certainly Adam won't be coming to Carlton next year."

Adam Cooney has been ruled out for at least three weeks with a hamstring complaint.

Cooney sustained the injury in the club's eight-point win over Collingwood on Sunday and scans on Monday confirmed the extent of the damage.

"He's still training and he's in the group - he just didn't quite come up again, so we think he will be available this week," Bulldogs medical services manager Andrew McKenzie said.

"He will train on Wednesday and we will assess him from there."

Adam Cooney will likely finish his career with the Bulldogs after turning his back on free agency and re-signing with the club until the end of 2015.

Western Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney admits that the club and Adam Cooney are still a fair way away from reaching an agreement.

"I think there's a bit to work at. Contract negotiations are contract negotiations. When it gets closer to it, then I'll make a comment," McCartney said.

"I'm not entitled to make a comment at the moment to be honest because it's not until people agree to stay and both parties are happy that you can comment on it."

High interest in Adam Cooney by rival clubs has been reported after the star midfielder and Bulldogs have deferred contract talks until later in the year.

Adam Cooney will miss two weeks due to bleeding in his hamstring.

"Adam felt tightness in his right hamstring towards the end of the game on Saturday," medical services manager Andrew McKenzie said.

"An MRI revealed a small bleed within the muscle, which will keep him sidelined for two weeks."

Daniel Giansiracusa says the Bulldogs are hopeful of Adam Cooney getting back to his best in 2013.

"It was exciting with those bursts from the stoppages and he felt great after it," Giansiracusa said about Cooney's performance in their final practice match.

"Unfortunately there was a little hiccup with his knee but he trained like he played against Richmond on Wednesday. We were buoyed by that and he's excited to be playing some footy again."

Adam Cooney is determined to play in round one despite having spent time in hospital due to an infected knee.

"I got a little bit of an infection on Tuesday last week – it might have been from a cut, but I'm not 100 per cent sure what caused it," Cooney said.

"So I went into hospital and had antibiotics for 48 hours. From then it settled down pretty quickly.

"I'll be desperate to play this week, as in any week. You want to play, and particularly in round one because you want to start the year well."

Western Bulldogs part-time assistant coach Brad Johnson says a fit Adam Cooney is crucial to the club's chances of success.

"They need an Adam Cooney in there to get that pace going around the contest and help generate that outside run that they do lack," Johnson said.

"They've got a lot of guys that love winning the contested footy, but they need to retain possession when it gets on the outside."

Adam Cooney is enjoying his best pre-season in years after having his dodgy knee treated in Germany.

"I haven't had a day one of pre-season out on the track in a long time, so I am certainly a lot further ahead than I was this time last year and even in previous years," Cooney said.

"I played predominantly forward last year, probably because I didn't have that base fitness going through the pre-season.

"I was cross training 'til about … mid-January to Feb, so hopefully this year I can build up a much bigger base."

Adam Cooney impresses against Geelong with a season-high 28 disposals in a possible sign that he could defy his degenerative knee problem.

"We had a plan, and we outlined that plan about eight weeks ago, and we said that at no stage were we finishing the year for Adam. We wanted to give him an opportunity to maybe train a little differently and do things a little differently, with the aim to get him back and play," he said.

"He's pulled up really well from the weekend, so we're hoping for a good performance again this week."

Bulldog Adam Cooney is determined to play again this season rather than get an early start on 2013.

"I think Adam himself just wanted to get to the stage where he knew, going into next year, he's set himself up to even continue a solid leg-weight program and rehab program during the break," Bulldogs assistant coach Steven King said.

"I think it's just for his own peace of mind, just to get back to that level. Whether he plays or not, just to know, 'Yep, I'm back in full training, I'm ready to go, and this is where I've got to go to move forward'."

Bulldogs star Adam Cooney says having a negative attitude stemming from his chronic knee injury cost him a spot in the club's leadership group.

"I was pretty down," Cooney said.

"It's embarrassing when you can't play as well as you think you can and your body's not holding up. Probably my attitude dropped off within the group and my leadership dropped off there."

Bulldog Adam Cooney says his troublesome knee will never be 100 per cent, but he is confident he can manage it throughout the season.

"It's probably not going to be 100 per cent,'' Cooney said of the knee.

"In saying that, what I had done in the off-season has taken a little bit of the pressure off the knee cap, it seems to have worked pretty well.

"It's just a management thing. I'm not the only guy who's played with injuries, a lot of guys have done it in the past. 'As long as I am feeling good week to week, we will sort of manage it."

Bulldogs full-back Brian Lake has improved his running and is tipped to be back in All Australian form in 2012.

"There was a massive limp there last year. He's improved on that. He's another one who has had no setbacks to date, so that, as a coaching group, we're happy with," Bulldogs assistant coach Brett Montgomery said.

"The way he's thrown himself into his rehab, the way he's thrown himself into the education sessions, he's trying to lead from the front, something he probably hasn't done for 12 months for a number of reasons."

Western Bulldogs midfielder Adam Cooney is unlikely to play again this season and will consult with a specialist soon to determine the extent of damage to his troublesome right knee.

Adam Cooney's manager, Rick Olarenshaw, says there are major worries over the future of the Bulldog with fears he may never again find his best .

"I caught up with Adam last week and there's definitely concerns about that knee," Olarenshaw said.

"Obviously he'll miss the rest of the season but he's going to have to be managed really well for the rest of his career. There's definitely some big question marks about whether he'll get back to his best. Let's hope he does."

Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade admits that Adam Cooney is playing this season with discomfort in his knee.

"I don't think he's ever going to be 100 per cent pain-free with his knee, and some weeks he's going to pull up worse than others," Eade said.

"But due credit to Adam, he's working extremely hard off the field. He's doing a lot of extra cross-training sessions to keep his aerobic fitness up, and he's doing everything required to manage his knee."

The Western Bulldogs are disappointed with players, including Adam Cooney, who have appeared drunk and obnoxious as seen in video footage uploaded to YouTube.

In the video, Cooney and teammates are seen to hold up traffic on a busy street outside a bar in Hong Kong.

"There's a disrespect for the drivers of the vehicles involved in that street in Hong Kong," Western Bulldogs chief executive Simon Garlick told SEN radio.

"We a very disappointed... [the players] place themselves in a position of risk too. There's vehicles driving past, anything could happen from that perspective."

The Western Bulldogs have named Matthew Boyd as captain of the club as well as two deputies to support him in Adam Cooney and Daniel Giansiracusa who will serve as vice-captains.

The Western Bulldogs will have to wage their September campaign without Adam Cooney, with the Brownlow Medallist out for at least five weeks with a hamstring injury.

"To lose a player of Adam's quality this close to the finals is obviously disappointing. At this stage the best case scenario is that Adam will return late in September and while this is unlikely, we have not written off Adam's season yet," Bulldogs football manager James Fantasia said.

Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney has turned his back on Gold Coast to remain with the Western Bulldogs after signing a three-year deal.

"It's just one less thing you have to worry about. There's a security there [in knowing] you're going to be around the footy club for another few years and you can just concentrate on playing the best football you can," Cooney said.

"My wife's pretty settled over here and I've got family over here and the kids go to school - everyone's pretty happy. I've got a house over here now so I'm settled in pretty well to the Melbourne lifestyle.

"I think I'll be 27 or 28 coming out of contract, so it will be 10 years at the club, which will be fantastic. Hopefully I've still got a few more years after that."

Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade is confident that Adam Cooney, Ryan Griffen and Jarrod Harbrow will re-sign before season's end, keeping them away from Gold Coast's reach.

"I would like to think they would and I'm confident because of our environment and culture and the fact the team has been together for a while," Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade said.

"No club is going to be able to match the Gold Coast's money. But our team has been relatively successful in winning games and making the finals and we'd like to think that's going to be enough."

Adam Cooney has been added to the Bulldogs leadership group but says he may not have what it takes to ultimately become skipper of the club.

"I'm too left-field to be a skipper," Cooney said.

"I'm maybe a little bit too casual and I'm never going to fully change my personality as much as you need to for captaincy. As a captain you need to think footy 24/7 and I'm not the type of person who lives and breathes it."

Adam Cooney remains uncontracted at the Bulldogs leading to speculation he may draw interest from the new Gold Coast franchise.

"Ricky's pretty busy at the moment, but hopefully we'll get something sorted out pretty soon and we'll have a chat," Cooney said about his manager Rick Olarenshaw.

"Maybe Ricky can then start chatting to the club, but I think I'll get stuck into the footy first."

Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade expects Adam Cooney to complete the rest of the season free of without any problems facing his knee that was operated on last season.

"Adam's fine. He went into the Collingwood game and he had a bit of a clean-up after the Hawthorn game," Eade said.

"He just got a bit of a knock, had a little bit of swelling in the same knee, but not where the operation was."

Forward Robert Murphy will return for the Western Bulldogs on Sunday, but Adam Cooney's availability is uncertain.

Rodney Eade expects Adam Cooney and Robert Murphy to return from knee surgery in a fortnight.

Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney will have further surgery today on the same knee joint that disrupted his pre-season and is expected to be out for a week.

Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney could return in time for the round five clash with Carlton, the Western Bulldogs say.

Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney and Robert Murphy will continue their races against time to be fit for the Western Bulldogs' Round 1 match against Fremantle.

Bulldogs pair Adam Cooney and Robert Murphy may miss their club's round-one clash against Fremantle.

Western Bulldogs' Adam Cooney will face Sydney in Saturday's NAB Challenge match but he and Robert Murphy will play no more than half.

The Western Bulldogs will take no risks with Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney, even if it means him missing Round 1.

Bulldogs midfielder Adam Cooney is fighting to avoid the Brownlow Medal blues.