Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes has opened up on the crippling anxiety he felt as an AFL player, revealing he hated playing football.

In the latest episode of Seven’s Unfiltered, the Channel Seven AFL expert admitted he struggled with the weight of expectation throughout his decorated 300-game career for the Power, adding, “life after footy has been way better than life playing footy”.

“I hated from probably 7.30pm the night before the game through until whenever the game finished,” Cornes said.

“Everything else I loved. Loved training, loved the flexibility. Pre-season was the absolute best, no pressure to play well, but you get fit with your mates. Amazing. Everything else, other than game day, I loved. I hated game day. Feeling sick about it.”

Asked if it was a relief when his career came to an end, Cornes responded: “Pretty much.”

“I just got myself into a mental bind that I couldn’t quite get out of and was sort of looking for the finish line.

“I’m proud of the fact that I went as far as I did and got the most out of myself. I probably squeezed every little bit of God-given talent that I had to get the career that I did. I’m proud of myself for that.

“But in the end, life after footy has been way better than life playing footy.”

Cornes has since carved a successful media career as one of the most high-profile and outspoken voices in the AFL, including as an expert commentator on Seven’s match-day coverage and as a staple on The Agenda Setters.

The 43-year-old, who hung up the boots in 2015, said while he was physically fit enough to continue playing for years beyond his retirement, he did not have the mental strength or will to keep playing.

“I reckon I could have played three years ago, like at 40,” he said.

“But for me, I marvel at the mental strength of those who are playing for a long time because you have to be so mentally strong. And I mean mentally strong in that you forget what’s happened.

“You have a bad game: ‘OK. No, I’ll forget that. I’ll move on’. I couldn’t. I was horrible if I played poorly. I didn’t speak to people, even the ones that I loved for a couple of days. I thought it reflected on me as a person if I played badly.

“So in the end, when I was ready to retire, it was nothing physically. I was fine. I was still winning the time trials and doing everything that I had and in as good a shape, never injured.

“But mentally, I just had enough, and just the weight of expectation and pressure that I put on myself ended up, you know, getting me in the end.”