Finals dream for Tigers
Damian Barrett | December 17, 2008
BEN Cousins' arrival at Richmond has the club's oldest player dreaming of something uncommon: finals.
Matthew Richardson, whose 16 years as a Tiger have seen just two finals campaigns, said Cousins' addition, through pick six in yesterday's pre-season draft, should inspire everyone at the club to aim high in 2009.
"I know from a team point of view, it is exciting for all the players to have him on board," Richardson told the Herald Sun yesterday.
"Like most of the public now, the sentiment is that he deserves a second chance.
"From a personal point of view, I don't know how long I've got left to play. I might have a year. I might have two or three. Who knows?
"All I know is I haven't played in a lot of successful teams, neither have some of the other older guys like Joel (Bowden) and Nathan (Brown) and Troy (Simmonds).
"I know Kane Johnson has, but not at Richmond.
"Him (Ben) coming on, he is certainly going to help the group be a better team and if that means we can play finals, then obviously I look at that as being a real positive for all of us, and something that I'd love to have happen, coming to the end of my career.
"It has been a long journey, so to play in some finals, or successful teams at the end is what it is all about. He is certainly going to help if he is playing 22 games."
Richardson, who will be 34 when the 2009 season starts, said he and fellow senior Richmond players were asked by the club's football department for input on recruiting the fallen Eagle, and returned with a resounding, "Yes".
"It was fairly unanimous that we wanted him to come, that we wanted him to be part of the group," Richardson said.
"We've got a lot of young players. Adding a senior player with his class and ability can help us push up to that next level next year."
Richmond coach Terry Wallace virtually conceded yesterday that Tigers fans -- who aggressively lobbied the club to pick Cousins -- had played a role in the recruitment of the 2005 Brownlow Medallist.
"AFL footy is about the game itself, it's about the players who play the game, and it's about the fans who come along to watch the game and I think strongly our decision is based on all three of those things," said Wallace.
Cousins last night flew into Melbourne from his Perth base, and will today train with the Tigers at Punt Rd.
His first press conference as a Tigers player is scheduled for 11.45am.
Richmond football operations manager Craig Cameron admitted selecting Cousins, who had been rejected by all other clubs, was a risk.
"In the process we went through to make a decision to select Ben there was no doubt there were some risks involved but we still made the decision to select him," Cameron said.
"The club's decision to give Ben another go in football was based on the fact that we believe he was the best player for us to choose and we also think it was the best way for Ben to continue in good health."
"I think Ben has still got some work to do but we believe we have got the structure in place to help him."
Richmond's best-and-fairest winner of last year, Brett Deledio, and second-year player Trent Cotchin, both midfield players, would likely benefit most from having Cousins at the club, according to Richardson.
"He is gong to bring an experience to the midfield that I think we need," Richardson said.
"We've got some young players there who are going to be good players, and (Nathan) Foley already is a good player, but obviously he can get a lot better.
"Deledio is just starting to find his feet as a midfielder, and Trent Cotchin, in his second year, too.
"I know they are all very, very excited that they will be able to learn off him, not just during games but on the track as well.
"I only know what I hear and read, but you hear how hard he trains and prepares, and the word on him is that no one trains harder.
"Young guys need to learn what it takes to become elite as a midfielder, and it doesn't mean you have just got to have ability.
"You need to be able to get out there and be an elite trainer as well.
"If they can learn to train like him, that is going to have huge dividends on the way they play game day."
With Richmond's list containing five players aged older than 30, Richardson said Cousins had an ideal environment in which to begin his second phase of elite level football.
"I am sure he will be happy guys that age around to help him settle in," Richardson said.
"There's a fair gap after that down to the rest of the group.
"It is the responsibility of the whole playing group to help him settle in and make him feel as welcome as possible as quickly as possible."
Cousins' well-documented off-field problems were not of concern to Tigers players, said Richardson.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,24812407-19742,00.html
