One-Eyed Richmond Forum
Football => Richmond Rant => Topic started by: one-eyed on August 16, 2010, 02:18:09 AM
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Greg Denham and the Australian have gone the early call.........
Battling Ben Cousins to call it quits
Greg Denham
The Australian
August 16, 2010
The controversial Richmond midfielder is understood to favour leaving the code on a high note rather than potentially limping out next year.
The 32-year-old is finding it increasingly tough in the second half of this season to back up at the elite level on a weekly basis.
The four-time West Coast best-and-fairest winner and 2005 Brownlow medallist, could end his illustrious career against Port Adelaide in round 22 at Etihad Stadium.
The recovering drug addict could have played a third season with the Tigers next year if he had been clearly convinced his physical fitness and condition would have enabled him to get through a final season. It is understood that first-year coach Damien Hardwick was last week prepared to have backed Cousins to play on, provided the veteran of 268 games rated himself a better than 50/50 chance to maintain his current sound form into another year. Cousins has amassed more than 24 disposals in each of his past five games for a career tally of more than 6000 possessions.
Neither Richmond nor Cousins wanted to commit to each other if Cousins was half-hearted about his future, with neither also wanting the champion to be forced into playing some games with VFL affiliate club Coburg.
Both parties spoke last night, with Cousins set to meet Hardwick and the Tigers general manager of football operations Craig Cameron today. It is understood that Cousins has no regrets about bowing out, despite publicly saying several times earlier this season that he thought he could play on for another year.
Richmond has been adamant that the soon-to-be aired Cousins' "Such Is Life" documentary on Network Seven has had no influence on any club decision on Cousins' future.
Despite causing a boardroom split at Punt Road over his recruiting when several other clubs abandoned such a bold move, Cousins has proved a huge success for the rebuilding club with his on-field leadership and off-field popularity. After being drafted with the last available selection in the pre-season draft in December, 2008, Cousins has played 30 games and averaged more than 23 possessions, just two below his Brownlow Medal-winning average output.
He agreed to return to the game in 2009 on a contract worth less than $200,000, which was increased to more than $300,000 this year. But, his presence generated between $1-2 million in additional revenue for Richmond due to soaring membership numbers and a hike in merchandise sales.
His arrival at Richmond prompted 2009 membership figures to increase by 20 per cent from 30,820 in 2008 to almost 37,000.
Despite just five outright wins last year, and a change of senior coach, the Tigers faithful remained loyal with only a slight membership drop-off on their 2009 record figure.
His immediate rank-and-file following at Punt Road was evident in the opening round of the 2009 season, when the Richmond-Carlton MCG Thursday night clash drew 86,972 fans, and attracted a massive average Melbourne television audience of another 708,000 viewers.
Unfortunately, Cousins tore his hamstring in his first match since a similar injury in his final game for the Eagles in the 2007 second semi-final.
It remains unclear whether there will be an official football role for Cousins next season at Richmond, but the club has held talks on his behalf with the AFL and the AFL Players Association about an on-going role.
Cousins made his debut for the Eagles in 1996, but his highly decorated career with West Coast, including the 2006 premiership, ended in 2007 when he was initially stood down indefinitely and then axed later in the year over his well-publicised drug-related problems.
His career appeared to be over the following year when he was deregistered for 12 months by the AFL Commission for bringing the game into disrepute.
Despite receiving a badly corked leg against Carlton on Saturday, Cousins has seven days to recover before the Tigers meet St Kilda on Saturday.
However, if he is still sore today, he will be required to have scans to determine if he has sustained more serious damage.
Cousins' two-year Richmond career appears set to officially conclude three nights after the Tigers' round 22 clash, at the club's best-and-fairest award night.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/battling-ben-cousins-to-call-it-quits/story-e6frg7mf-1225905602472
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No :'(
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A great ride and a huge success. Well done Ben and let's hope we can keep him at the club beyond this year off field.
A champion of the game and we were lucky to have had the chance to see him play in Tiger colours.
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shame his body couldnt go another 20 games, would have been great to see him get to 50 games with us.
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Sick of these media outlets jumping the gun and making calls. The bar is so low for journos these days that it really doesn't matter if they make the wrong call.
Let Cuz announce it himself FFS!
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ill be honest up until a few weeks i was one who was calling for Cuz to retire but i have changed my mind.
If he announces his retirement then we should on the same day offer him a lucraticve assistant coaching role right now to keep him or he will walk into a Collingwood or a Carlton club. We cannot lose a quality football brain like him to another club.
When you see players like Mcguane, Nahas roll around next year it actually makes me sick in the guts that he wont play on next year.
we have so many duds on our list and he is not one of them.
he is in our best 22 right now and a good chance he will be next year too so he should play on or at the very least a role inside the club.
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I just have no idea what to believe anymore.. Who knows.
The leg injury wouldn't have helped at all, regardless if he pulls up for next game if he's questioning his body to go around again it would have helped to finish the year unscathed.
I just hope he stays at the club.
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he will retire
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SEN saying there'll be a press conference tomorrow although that's their belief rather than anything confirmed.
Cuz said as he walked into Punt Rd for training - "I slept last night like a baby...... I woke up every hour crying" - and laughed.
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Announcement on Cousins' future due Tuesday
By Mic Cullen
12:18 PM Mon 16 August, 2010
RICHMOND says an announcement on the future of Ben Cousins at the club will be made on Tuesday.
A club spokesman told waiting media at Punt Rd that they might as well leave, as nothing would be done or said on Monday, but that a media conference would be held tomorrow.
Intense speculation has surrounded Cousins' future. He is on a one-year deal with the Tigers, having gained another contract after his first year at the club in 2009.
The Brownlow Medallist was rarely out of the headlines in Perth, where he played 238 matches for the Eagles, including the 2006 premiership.
But his arrest in October 2007 on charges of possessing a prohibited drug - later dropped due to incorrect police procedures - was the last straw for the club, which sacked him the following day.
The AFL then deregistered him for a year for bringing the game into disrepute, which saw him sit out the 2008 season.
The AFL then renewed his registration, and Cousins became the last senior-list selected player two years ago when he was taken by the Tigers with pick six, the final choice in the 2009 NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft.
Since then, the 32-year-old has played 30 games for the Tigers, and has been in good form over the last month, although he received a badly corked thigh in the weekend’s loss to Carlton.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/100445/default.aspx
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couldn't imagine a media conference to announce him staying on :(
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Announcement on Cousins' future due Tuesday
Sadly I reckon it will be to announce his retirement
You don't have press conferences to announce the re-signing of 32 year olds
Unless of course you are going to put Ben up there with Dusty, Jack and whoever else has re-signed in the last month :rollin :rollin
If it is the retirement announcement and it is Ben's decision then I think that's great but if it's because they forced him to do it then it will be a sad day. Plenty more on our list that should go before Cuz
Actually what I'd really enjoy is Caro & Hutchy carrying on tonight about he is going to retire then tomorrow Cuz & Dimma announce he's going around again - that would be priceless ;D
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Cousins set to call it quits
August 16, 2010 - 1:35PM
Controversial Richmond midfielder Ben Cousins is set to announce his AFL retirement at a press conference tomorrow.
The recovering drug addict spent more than three hours at the club's Punt Road headquarters today meeting Tigers officials.
The 2005 Brownlow Medallist wouldn't reveal his intentions as he left the club, where he has played for two seasons after he was sacked by the West Coast Eagles.
It is believed he is finding it increasingly tough to back up at the elite level each week and wants to retire before being forced out of the game.
"I really can't say anything," the 32-year-old midfielder said.
"There's going to be a press conference tomorrow."
Richmond general manager of football Craig Cameron also gave no hint of Cousins' plans.
"We had further discussions with Ben Cousins today. Both Ben and the club have sat down and had a chat," Cameron said.
"There will be no further announcements today but there will be an announcement tomorrow morning."
But Cousins may be in doubt for Richmond's match against St Kilda on Saturday after badly corking his leg in the heavy loss to Carlton.
http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/cousins-set-to-call-it-quits-20100816-1261a.html
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Im trying to keep an open mind...
I was hoping for one more year of Ben Cousins... but this is not the end of the world.If 2010 has taught us anything its the fact that even the superstars can be replaced.
I loved having a high profile champion like BC at the club but I was getting sick of the Cousins Circus .Ben has always had a million fans willing to make excuses for him but the fact is he's just "high maintenance".
I was a little bit annoyed after the Sydney game (round 14).This game should of been celebrated as one of our finest victories of the past decade however it degenerated into the whole sleeping pill fiasco.Its ironic that Ben had a blinder that game.
Our last game demonstrated that Bens not part of our next finals campaign let alone premiership.
The positive for Ben is that he is finishing his career playing great footy....Clearly still in Richmonds best 5 players and thats not a bad way to bow out.
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I loved having a high profile champion like BC at the club but I was getting sick of the Cousins Circus .Ben has always had a million fans willing to make excuses for him but the fact is he's just "high maintenance".
I don't mind that so much, it's like women, sometimes the high maintenance ones are worth the effort
Our last game demonstrated that Bens not part of our next finals campaign let alone premiership.
Depends how you define "part of finals/premiership", sure he may not be a player in it, but the winning habits he teaches our kids could be a big contributor come finals/grand final time.
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Richmond great Matthew Richardson is confident Ben Cousins' impending AFL retirement is the right move for the controversial midfielder.
Richardson, who retired from playing at the end of last year, said the 2005 Brownlow Medallist was making the correct decision.
Richardson said the move allowed Cousins to depart on his own terms while playing well and having won back some admirers after his 12-month suspension for bringing the game into disrepute amid his much-publicised drug problems.
"He's got a lot of support out there now in the public. It's been a really good two years for him," Richardson told Melbourne radio station 3AW.
"A lot of people have got a real soft spot for Ben. He'll have no trouble getting work in football. In the media he's a good talent. He's got a lot to say and people will like listening to him.
"He's finishing on top, he's in good form, he was probably their best player on the weekend.
"At that age, another six months on another pre-season, the body takes another hit and it could end badly for him next year."
http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=7945923
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It will be intetersting to see how we play in Bens last game.
After the notable exceptional finals for Bowden and TW's last games you would hope we may put in for Cuz's last game
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Excluding Richo, has there been a more influential player at our club in the last 10 years?
I am not saying this is correct, but something worth discussing.
Hopefully Cousins has left a legacy with our young brigade that will deliver our next flag.
Well done Ben, its only been 2 years but i love ya mate. He has done so much for our club in the last 2 years. I hate to think how bad we could have been last year without the publicity and money he attracted to the club.
It has certainly been a win-win here. As mentioned i hope he stays on in some capacity.
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Cousins future revealed on Tues
richmondfc.com.au
8:23 PM Mon 16 August, 2010
Richmond will announce the future of midfield veteran Ben Cousins at a press conference at 10.30am tomorrow morning (Tuesday) at Punt Road Oval.
Cousins, 32, is in his 15th year in the AFL, after making his debut with the West Coast Eagles in 1996.
After spending a year out of the game, the Tigers threw the Brownlow Medallist a lifeline after the 2008 season, selecting him with the last pick (no 6) in the pre season draft.
He has played 30 games for Richmond in two seasons, and kicked 12 goals.
For full coverage of the press conference, visit richmond_fc.com.au tomorrow.
http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/6301/newsid/100502/default.aspx
Apparently Ch 9 will be screening the press conference live.
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Given it was Cuz's choice to retire and go out on top then you can only congratulate the RFC and Ben on a win-win relationship. The RFC gave Cuz a stable supportive environment through footy to get his life back on track and Ben hopefully will see his teaching legacy with our young cubs come to the fore in 3-4 years time. All the best in the future Benny and if you're interested in sticking around in some development coaching role then hopefully the RFC will consider it.
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Classy poll on the Herald-Sun site ::)
"Will Ben Cousins be remembered more for his drug problems than his football career?"
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The media are certain he will retire. If he does retire it is a sad day for the club. Glad he came to Richmond. Played some fantastic footy at the club and made a very positive contribution to the club
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Given it was Cuz's choice to retire and go out on top then you can only congratulate the RFC and Ben on a win-win relationship. The RFC gave Cuz a stable supportive environment through footy to get his life back on track and Ben hopefully will see his teaching legacy with our young cubs come to the fore in 3-4 years time. All the best in the future Benny and if you're interested in sticking around in some development coaching role then hopefully the RFC will consider it.
Great post! :clapping I will miss "Our Cuz" , he bought interest,spark and excitement back to our club, and a hell of a lot of supporters.
I agree with OE tho, it would be great if he came out this morning and said he was going to play on just to stick it up caro and hutchy, then give the scoop to some no name reporter tomorrow
Farewell Ben! :gotigers
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Just received an email from the club. No real surprise.
COUSINS TO ANNOUNCE RETIREMENT
Richmond midfielder Ben Cousins will today announce his retirement from AFL Football.
Cousins will play the final two games of the 2010 season, with his last match being played at Etihad
Stadium against Port Adelaide on Sunday 29 August.
Cousins will conduct a press conference at Richmond Football Club this morning where he will confirm
his decision to retire.
Cousins has played 268 games of AFL football since making his debut in 1996. The same year he was an
AFL Rising Star nominee.
He was a six-time All Australian and won the best and fairest at West Coast four times. He was a
member of the West Coast Eagles' 2006 Premiership side. He was also the winner of the 2005 Brownlow
Medal.
Cousins joined Richmond at the start of the 2009 season and has played 30 games. He finished fifth
in the Richmond best and fairest last year.
Watch Ben Cousins' press conference live at 10.30am
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Ben was really good through what we seen of the interveiw.
He held his head up high and came out on the other side looking good.
We all should be pleased with him and his choice to go.
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Good luck to him. Leaving on his own terms. Made a good decision although of course I would have wanted him to stay
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The media said that was bigger than Richo's departure. Stacks of people there.
Well said Bushy. Cuz spoke very well. Thanked Richmond for taking him on in a pivotal time in his life and said he'll remain a supporter and follow the club.
Dimma said he wanted Cuz to stay on but understood Cuz wanting to retire as Cuz told him he wanted to do what was best for the RFC and Cuz will always be welcome in the RFC.
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Cousins puts club first
By Pat Devery and Matt Price
Tue 17 August, 2010
BEN Cousins has put the interests of the Richmond Football Club ahead of his own in calling time on his decorated career as an AFL footballer.
Cousins will play the final two games of the season against St Kilda and Port Adelaide to end with a career tally of 270 games.
But he said the decision meant ignoring the "selfish reasons" which would have otherwise seen him play on next year with a club he believed was moving toward an era of success.
"The tough part about making this decision is I believe that we, as a foot club, are heading in the right direction," Cousins said.
"For my own selfish reason I'd love to hang on for another year ... and try to enjoy some of the spoils that are headed our way."
Despite believing he had more games "left in the gun", Cousins said now was unquestionably the right time to end his career.
"I'm happy and content with what I have achieved in footy," he said.
"The thing that I'll miss the most about playing at this club is game day.
"Rocking up in anticipation of the contest and running out that race and looking over my shoulder and walking taller because of the bloke standing next to me.
"Football is an emotional game and that's the way I've played it."
Tigers coach Damien Hardwick echoed Cousins' mixed feelings.
"From a coaching perspective, we would have liked him to stay another year. Obviously it's very hard to replace players of Ben's calibre," he said.
"From a personal point of view, I can understand what he's feeling."
But the Cousins' story has had low points. Before the Eagles redeemed their one-point loss to the Swans in the 2005 grand final with victory in 2006, Cousins had been stripped of the West Coast captaincy following an incident in which he ran away from a booze bus.
West Coast sacked him in 2007 after his arrest on charges of possessing a prohibited drug.
The charges were dropped, but the AFL deregistered him for 12 months for bringing the game into disrepute.
He praised Richmond for providing him with a second chance in football and in life.
"There were associated risks with picking me up," he said. "Back at the time when I got drafted was a really pivotal time in my life."
He thanked both sets of supporters and said of the support he got from the Tigers and Eagles fans was the highlight of his career.
He also thanked his family, Kevin Sheedy and Gerard Healy who were instrumental in his move to Melbourne and his development on and off the field.
Cousins revealed no definite plans for the future but said he would stay in Melbourne and hopes to remain involved with the Tigers.
He is the subject of a documentary to be screened on Channel 7 later this month, entitled 'Such is Life: The Troubled Times of Ben Cousins'.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/100505/default.aspx
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Cuz could have gone on: Hardwick
By Mic Cullen
Tue 17 August, 2010
RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick has admitted the club would have liked Ben Cousins to stay another season, saying the organisation was better for having had him there for two years.
Cousins announced his retirement on Tuesday morning before one of the biggest media conferences in recent football history, saying he knew the time was right.
Cousins is set to take his games tally to 270 before his career ends, saying a corked thigh from the weekend wouldn’t keep him out of the side.
He played 238 games for West Coast, including the 2006 premiership, and has played 30 for the Tigers in his two seasons at Punt Rd.
Hardwick not only gave the 32-year-old’s current football a tick, but he also gave a glowing personal reference.
“From a coaching perspective we would have liked him to stay another year,” Hardwick said.
“It’s very hard to replace players of Ben’s calibre, but from a personal point of view, I can understand what he’s feeling.
“I reckon Ben Cousins the person, in my books and I think in a lot of people’s books, has come out looking outstanding in this.
“The Richmond Football Club opened its doors to Ben, and the Richmond Football Club is better as a whole for having Ben through our environment.
“It’s disappointing, but we can see why Ben came to the decision.”
When asked if he would like the Brownlow medallist to remain at Richmond in some capacity, perhaps as an assistant coach - Cousins interjecting with a laugh: “I’d be good with the video work, I reckon”, a reference to his upcoming documentary - Hardwick said he had already brought an enormous amount to the club in his time there.
“We’ve still got two games to go; we’ll sit down, but the world’s Ben’s oyster, to be honest - I think he’ll be outstanding whatever he does.
“He’s shown the guys within our footy club how to prepare, how to commit to something, and in essence, I know we haven’t won a lot of games, but he’s brought that winning element to our footy club.
“So whichever way he goes, he’s going to be winning in whatever he does.”
But Hardwick was in no doubt as to his evaluation of Cousins the player.
“He came in a star at the age of 18, and he’s going to leave a star at the age of 32.”
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/100531/default.aspx
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Here's the audio (5 mins)
http://www.sen.com.au/audioplayer/Audio/Ben-Cousins-Retires/899 (http://www.sen.com.au/audioplayer/Audio/Ben-Cousins-Retires/899)
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Jack Riewoldt gets the answers you wanted to hear.
http://www.richmondfc.com.au/roar%20vision%20archive/tabid/11454/contentid/289672/default.aspx
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Haha good footage that.
Ge I love this club.
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Its a sad day.
I watched the press conference today and could not get over how charming this guy is.
Ben Cousins is a legend.
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Here's youtube video of the press conference today in the Punt Rd Oval gym......
Ben's retirement speech:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYsniYXGa70 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYsniYXGa70)
Answering media questions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16ZvWz_TDms (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16ZvWz_TDms)
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Champion is a word bandied about far too often.
Not with this bloke
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Its a sad day.
I watched the press conference today and could not get over how charming this guy is.
Ben Cousins is a legend.
Here Here.
He never was violent, scraggy or undisciplined on field. Always had a team first mentality, has to go down as probably the best and fairest footballer for the last 10-15 years alongside James Hird.
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No surprises here.
Good decision and well handled by the RFC.
Hopefully Cousins finishes off well the final two games.
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Champion is a word bandied about far too often.
Not with this bloke
Got it in one
Just wish he had of been a Tiger for longer
And just really happy it was his decision to bow out - he deserved that
:gotigers GO BEN
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And just really happy it was his decision to bow out - he deserved that
It was certainly the best result for everybody.
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Someone in China got their wires crossed ;D
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/sports/2010-08/17/c_13448806.htm
Australian soccer star Ben Cousins announced on Tuesday he will retire at the end of the 2010 season.
Cousins spent over three hours in a meeting with Richmond Football Club officials Monday night discussing his soccer future, and confirmed on Tuesday morning he was ready to quit after 14 seasons.
The 32-year-old has ridden the highs of some of the biggest honors in soccer but also the lows of a much-documented and self-confessed substance abuse problem.
Cousins, one of the Labrador Tigers Football Club's best players in a promising 2010 campaign, will reveal details of his battle with drugs in a two-part documentary due to air in later this month.
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Ben Cousins: an enigma until the end
By Gerard Whateley
It was a triumph insofar as Ben Cousins left football on his terms with the goodwill of the community largely at his back. For sustained periods that notion seemed beyond improbable to the point of downright fanciful.
It was said by way of preview by Greg Baum in The Age that Cousins was the man who "had it all and threw it away, but in the end got enough of it back to be able to announce his retirement with dignity." That is precisely how the event panned out.
Cousins spoke candidly, emotionally and likeably in announcing his career would end at completion of the 2010 regular season in a fortnight.
He spoke of football residing in the marrow of his being. Of the contradiction his drug addiction was to his core desire to achieve team success.
He revealed the restoration of self worth and credibility the lifeline at Richmond had afforded him.
He faltered only when speaking of his father. His biggest influence and best mate. The person who will likely be revealed to have saved Ben's life.
Until recently Cousins was criticised for failing to share his story. He sought a lot from football but carried himself with a perceived arrogance that he owed nothing in return.
Hindsight will dictate he didn't tell of his circumstance and battle largely because he couldn't. Perhaps he didn't understand them himself and he certainly wasn't in control of them.
That wasn't the Ben Cousins of today.
He shared all he could and sought to excuse himself from nothing. It was an encapsulation of how far he's come.
Cousins left his first club West Coast in disgrace. After initially being suspended for his off-field excesses he made a fraudulent heroes return. He hadn't dealt with his addiction but assumed his place back in the game with a sense of entitlement.
That ended inevitably and sadly. The AFL stepped in and did what had to be done. Having never caught Cousins under its drug code, the League deregistered him for 12 months.
Revisionist history is in full swing as to how Cousins came to Richmond after every other club had knocked his services back. It was no sweeping act of humanitarianism. A coach trying to save his bacon by making the finals saw some worth in a Brownlow Medallist.
It didn't save Terry Wallace. What ensued though might've saved Ben Cousins.
It's reasonable to assume club and player got much more than they banked on. The relationship stands as a remarkable success far beyond the 32 matches Cousins will finally be credited with having played for the Tigers.
He gave his version of the essence of football as it occurred to him: "The things I'll miss most about playing at the club is game day. Rocking up in anticipation of the contest, running out that race and walking taller because of the blokes standing next to me."
There'll be no pretending to know Cousins's state of mind or the extent of his experiences with drugs. But ultimately there is a level of understanding to be taken from his story.
And yet there are pieces that remain utterly gob smacking. His place on the media landscape as a subject of fascination was evidenced in the coverage his retirement press conference commanded.
Six television stations broke from regular programming to carry his retirement press conference live.
Channel Seven interrupted The Morning Show. Kerri-Anne gave way on Channel Nine. ABC News 24, Fox Sports News, Sky News and One HD broadcast the entirety of the 20-minute session from Punt Road.
In addition Melbourne radio stations 774 ABC, 3AW, MTR, SEN and Triple M took the announcement live.
There is no sporting precedent for such blanket coverage. No moment in this election campaign has been afforded such precedence. Like much in the Cousins saga I doubt that's healthy.
Cousins will remain an enigma. He has the CV of a Hall of Fame footballer, the wrap sheet of man who threatened permanent damage to himself and the game he professed to love, all combined with the modern celebrity of a rebel idol.
But there was comfort at the end. The embrace for Cousins in his final game will be warm and genuine. Hopefully it will prove sustaining.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/08/17/2985693.htm?site=thedrum