Tigers rest Cousins, suspend rookieMARTIN BOULTON
April 2, 2010BEN Cousins has been ruled out of Richmond's team for Sunday's game against the Western Bulldogs with knee soreness, while mature-age rookie Relton Roberts will also miss the clash after the leadership group handed him a one-game suspension for disciplinary reasons.
Cousins, 31, was on track to play earlier in the week, but again pulled up with soreness in his knee after training yesterday, according to Tigers football operations manager Ross Monaghan.
''We've only got a six-day break after this one going into the [round three] Sydney game and it was highly doubtful whether he'd be able to play in both,'' he said.
''We thought it was best - and he was involved in the decision-making process - to miss this week and hopefully it should only be a one-week injury.''
Monaghan said the injury ''possibly restricted'' Cousins last week against Carlton, but he did not go into the match carrying an injury.
Tigers coach Damien Hardwick admitted he took a risk playing Cousins last week. ''Ben, to his own credit, played OK, not outstanding, and he needed a run because he was probably a game underdone,'' Hardwick said.
''It's probably like [Western Bulldogs veteran] Brad Johnson. When you're 30 years of age and you probably haven't played those pre-season games as much as you'd like, you do look a little bit underdone. If you haven't done the preparation, you're actually going to be in a bit of trouble.
''We took a bit of a risk playing him last week and it probably didn't work to the degree we would like.''
Hardwick admitted Cousins had some personal issues at the end of last year. ''He is the first to admit that pre-Christmas he had a few things on his mind, but from Christmas onwards he has been outstanding.
''He had that illness for a while, so he missed four training sessions, but he has been very good for us.''
Roberts misses the game for an undisclosed misdemeanour. Monaghan told The Age the club suspension followed ''a fairly simple thing, nothing too dramatic'', but declined to say why the 24-year-old was being disciplined.
''As a young player he's got to learn [and] the leadership group made a decision and we fully support the decision.
''A decision will be made [today] whether he plays at all this weekend [in the VFL] or we leave him out and he works on a few other things. At this stage it will only be a one-week suspension.''
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/tigers-rest-cousins-suspend-rookie-20100401-ri3t.htmlRICHMOND ruled out Ben Cousins (knee soreness) for Sunday's clash against the Western Bulldogs, despite coach Damien Hardwick talking up his prospects for the game only hours earlier.
Rookie Relton Roberts won't play after being hit with a club-imposed one-week suspension for a late-night drinking session.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/cousins-injured-relton-suspended/story-e6frf9jf-1225848718533