Ben Cousins forces Tigers rethink Jon Ralph
Herald Sun
June 21, 2010 SHANE Tuck had already saved his career before his two centre-square clearances that dragged Richmond across the line against the Brisbane Lions.
Eleven straight games averaging 27 possessions have made him close to undroppable, but he sealed the deal on Saturday night.
In coach Damien Hardwick's own words, the Tigers were "out on their feet" before Tuck's last-term intervention wrested the momentum back Richmond's way.
Now with Hardwick learning to love Tuck despite all his rough edges, the question is whether he will extend the same lifeline to Ben Cousins.
Cousins circa 2010 is not the same gut-running endurance animal who won the 2005 Brownlow Medal, but the 31-year-old was still exceptional against the Lions.
He has lost his pace and some of his kicking penetration, but his 27 possessions were invaluable.
Ten weeks ago his injury concerns and role in the Daniel Connors incident were in the limelight. He was a dead man walking.
He used his appearance on Foxtel's On The Couch on May 11 to plead for another season, but his papers had already been stamped.
With Cousins not performing on the park, there was simply no point in keeping him. Now after five consecutive games of increasing quality, that answer is no longer so definitive.
Cousins has plenty in his favour. His form warrants a spot in Richmond's side.
He is clearly loved by his teammates, who say they learn something from him every time he opens his mouth.
He can play a role in this improving Richmond side without taking away from the development of Dustin Martin, Ben Nason and Andrew Collins.
But the negatives are all about his baggage.
Cousins has a tell-all book set to be released at season's end that will chart his highs but also plenty of his lows.
The content - still being scrutinised by lawyers - is said to be incendiary. His long-awaited DVD is also in the works and nearing completion.
Richmond is not prepared to go through another media firestorm for a player who will not play in its next premiership.
Cousins himself is saying all the right things, joking in a post-match interview he was nearly spent anyway.
"I am hanging on for dear life," he said. "We are just starting to turn the corner. We are taking the first few baby steps and they are beautiful.
"It's always going to take a little while to implement the game plan 'Dimma' (Hardwick) has been trying to work with over the summer and we probably took a few steps back to go forward."
Ten more weeks like the past couple, and Cousins will make the decision for Hardwick.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/ben-cousins-forces-tigers-rethink/story-e6frf9jf-1225882031257
