Vote-winning start to a career in yellow and black: Rohan Connolly

[one-eyed]

Vote-winning start to a career in yellow and black
Rohan Connolly | December 18, 2008

SO, HOW did he go? It's a question that for Ben Cousins, like any other AFL footballer, could once upon a time be answered with a response about kicks, marks, handballs and goals.

In the nearly two years since the revelation of the Brownlow medallist's drug addiction, however, it has instead inevitably been a query regarding Cousins' appearance, demeanour and body language.

So intense has been the scrutiny surrounding the life of one of the modern era's greatest onballers, so large the size of the circus trailling his every move, that any sightings of him, let alone some words for public consumption, have become by default another performance to be critiqued.

Such was the background to the amazing scenes come Cousins' first training run with Richmond yesterday.

Close to 2000 Tiger fans had packed into Punt Road, on a Wednesday morning in mid-December no less. They filled the terraces, even lined up outside the fence for a peek at a session which ordinarily would attract the proverbial two men and a dog.

They saw a man clearly still with some touch and fitness to be acquired, but one clearly still capable in the ball work he executed, and in the series of 200-metre sprints alongside Matthew Richardson from which he emerged unscathed, leaving the track after about 50 minutes to a thunderous ovation.

All merely a curtain-raiser, however, to the bigger test which would follow.

That, of course, was Cousins' news conference before 16 assorted TV and video cameras, a dozen photographers and around 50 journalists, all eager for a crack at their quarry. In a football context, formidable, intimidating opposition.

So, how did he go? Brilliantly. If a Cousins public appearance is to be assessed now as his football once was, this was definitely a vote-winning effort.

He was composed. He was cool. And he didn't shirk the issue facing the inevitable challenge of questions posed about his latest reported links with underworld figures.

Which came very early in the piece. Four in quick succession, in fact, from a television news reporter, prompting Cousins' manager, Ricky Nixon, to interject: "Have you actually got a footy question, because you're being a knob at the moment."

But Cousins wasn't in need of help. He handled the probing about his dealings with various shady characters with aplomb.

And, most pleasingly for those who have taken issue with his supposed lack of contrition and humility during his troubled couple of years, there was admission of genuine anxiety about just where and how he might have ended up.

"There's definitely been moments throughout the last six weeks where I really questioned whether I was going to get there," he said.

"A lot of my concern (initially) was about getting the clearance from the AFL Commission rather than finding a home at a football club, and it turned out to be quite the opposite. The commission gave the green light, but then it became a tough battle to convince football clubs to take me on.

"I understand with me it's not just a football decision. There's a lot that comes with it."

A fact probably dawning increasingly on new Richmond captain Chris Newman and vice-captain Nathan Foley as they flanked Cousins at a table almost weighed under by the weight of microphones and tape-recorders.

Cousins called the period following his non-selection in last month's national draft "probably the most testing time of the last 12 months". He remained confident of his fitness, "but I guess with the rigours of AFL football, you never really know till you get back into it".

The acceptance of a continuing uncertainty not only about his football, but his life, was readily apparent.

"This is what I wanted, but it's not necessarily the easy option," he said. "I have a lot to prove in a football sense, but I guess putting my rehabilitation or recovery back into a public forum is a risk, a challenge. It's not something most people in my position go through, but I think it's the best chance for me to lead a normal lifestyle, and a clean one."

Cousins would refer to normality again, when asked about the potential for the sideshow now accompanying his every move to distract his new and largely still young Tiger teammates.

"I'd like to think that after this week it goes back to just being about football. Obviously, there's going to be slightly more hype about it at different stages during the year, but I think it won't be long before it goes back to something of a normal nature."

A comment followed by a rueful smile towards the throng of reporters standing four or five deep.

Cousins knows well that normality from here in will be a relative term only.

And actual football matches only a portion of the games he is now required to play.

Yesterday's media scrum was the first in his new club colours. And Cousins could at least walk from this playing field well and truly satisfied with his efforts.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/votewinning-start-to-a-career-in-yellow-and-black/2008/12/17/1229189712715.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

[one-eyed]

Ben Cousins passes test with flying colours
Ron Reed | December 18, 2008

SO FAR, so good. So very good, in fact.

For Richmond, Ben Cousins' arrival yesterday was an unconditional triumph in every way. The same goes for the man in the middle. The fallen superstar landed squarely on his feet with a cool, honest, humble and eloquent performance at as big a football media frenzy as you'll find outside of Grand Final week.

Indeed, if you can suspend belief enough to imagine the eternally tormented Tigers actually making a Grand Final, the scenes at the ramshackle old Punt Rd Oval were more redolent of the last week of September than the last week before Christmas.

Finals fever? In a way, yes. Cousins has, instantly, become the catalyst for this proud but impatient club to dare to dream, and never mind that he comes equipped with just two arms and two legs like every other good player in the AFL.

Related LinksVideo: Cousins trains with Tigers On a damp, grey morning - footy weather, despite the cricket roller in the centre insisting it was summer - at least 1000 fans turned up, many of them an hour before the 9am training session was due to start.

This was the manifestation of the people power that has played such a significant part in convincing the Tigers to take a punt on Australia's most controversial sporting figure.

Already it has provided a tangible return, with hundreds of supporters heading for the membership counter in the merchandise shop under the social club, signing up more than three months in advance.

The stock - you could get anything from a framed guernsey signed by the Team of the Century for $995 to a replica premiership cup for $250 to a wristband for $5 - was walking out the door, as salesmen say.

Usually, on a weekday morning you could count the customers on your fingers - now the four staff were having trouble keeping up.

The big moment arrived five minutes early.

The Tigers emerged from under the grandstand at 8.55am, with Cousins at the tail of the pack - and the first important question was immediately answerable.

He was wearing No. 32, previously the property of Greg Tivendale, now retired.

The applause rippled around the terrace as the bloke behind me wasted no time reporting in to a kindred soul via his mobile phone.

"He looks a million dollars, mate. He's fit, don't worry about that," he said. "It's a good feeling."

And yes, he did indeed look a million dollars.

Cousins said later he had never stopped training and his body, even at 30, was as good as it had ever been.

Perhaps he betrayed a possible concern by the number of times he stretched his hamstrings, but he certainly moved smoothly without ever trying to reach top pace.

After some running and passing drills, he and the other most recognisable figure on the field, Matthew Richardson, broke off and ran laps together - actually, half-laps.

They loped from goalposts to goalposts and back again along the far boundary, as far away as they could get from most of the fans.

Who knows why they chose to do that, but it was a symbolic sight - Richo, the heroic stalwart running out of time to deliver the dream, and brand-new Benny, suddenly the hope of the side.

You could read the minds of the fans. They were salivating over the thought of Cousins bursting out of the centre and delivering lace-up to the leading Richo, with Chris Judd trying in vain to shackle his old Eagles premiership teammate. Round 1 against the hated Blues can't come quickly enough.

At 9.42, just 47 minutes into a session that lasted nearly twice that for most of the players, the pair headed for the rooms, Cousins' initiation complete - at least as far as the fans were concerned.

But there was still the media conference, and training was always going to be a doddle compared to what he knew would be waiting for him there.

He said he hadn't read the paper, but he certainly would have been told he was already on the front page of the Herald Sun after police asserted in court he was a recent associate of accused murderer "Fat Ange" Venditti.

Wearing a new Richmond shirt and jeans and flanked by team leaders Chris Newman and Nathan Foley, Cousins didn't have to wait long for the grilling to turn to that topic.

He calmly responded, making no attempt to deny he knew the Perth gangland identity, but insisting that the relationship carried no criminal connotations.

When the same journalist fired three or four similar questions at him - and with Cousins obviously not enjoying it but not noticeably fazed either - his manager Ricky Nixon, face florid with anger, erupted from his seat.

Nixon demanded the questioning return to football and told the reporter he was "a knob" - a synonym for idiot, if you'll forgive the lowering of the tone here.

Nixon would do well to learn to leave reporters to do their job, especially when an intelligent, experienced interview subject - as Cousins obviously is - is fielding the questions competently, and the subject matter is obviously of intense public interest.

But it was the only tense moment in an otherwise upbeat and professional 20 minutes, in which Cousins did all he reasonably could to counter the many recent suggestions he has damaged his case by failing to be upfront with the public and to express contrition and regret.

He expressed his gratitude to Richmond and stressed he was expecting no special favours, not even in terms of getting a game.

"Like every other player, I have to earn my right to play in the seniors," he said.

"I have a hell of a lot of work to do to fight my way into the side."

Standing at the back of the room, coach Terry Wallace and several teammates listened intently. They had to be happy - delighted, really - with what they were hearing.

It wasn't quite the roar of the Tiger - but stand by. You'll be hearing it soon enough, louder than for a long time.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,24815682-19742,00.html

[DallasCrane]

"Like every other player, I have to earn my right to play in the seniors," he said.

"I have a hell of a lot of work to do to fight my way into the side."

Somehow I think we'll squeeze him into the firsts.

[Go Richo 12]

Ron Reed's article has the hair standing up on the back of the neck.