Ben bombshell: I never knew Cousins was using drugs on my watch Mick Malthouse
The Australian
August 21, 2010 I FIRST saw Ben Cousins play when coach of West Coast and he was still at school running around as a chubby little half-forward.
He had terrific skills but really looked like a kid who was in a private school. Things were pretty easy, he didn't work overly hard, and I thought it was going to be a real wake-up call if he came into the AFL system.
The invitation was there to come down and do some gym work to strengthen his body up and I saw a transformation before my eyes. He saw blokes like Dean Kemp, Guy McKenna and John Worsfold who had an appetite for real work. They gave him a few hints about how to prepare himself and we left it to him.
His father Bryan Cousins played 67 games for Geelong in the late '70s and the Cats were desperate to recruit his precociously talented son under the father-son rule.
Under the rules West Coast could also take the sons of former VFL players based in WA and thankfully Ben chose West Coast.
By the time he was drafted the kid had gone from a puppy-fat little boy to an 18-year-old who had transferred his body shape into something approaching an AFL footballer.
Ben made his AFL debut in 1996 and proved to be one of those very rare players in my coaching career who had something special. He reminded me of former Richmond premiership teammate Geoff Raines, who had the capacity to run, lean forward and pick the ball up without breaking stride or losing pace while maintaining possession.
Raines and Cousins could do it so cleanly, which is important, and it's something you can't teach. It's an innate ability which becomes even better with fitness and strength.
As he developed Ben became virtually untouchable. He was able to break away in the same stride, leaving his defender flat-footed.
His reputation grew rapidly to the point where we played the Bulldogs one day and he was tagged by Tony Liberatore, who had lost his pace but developed a fierce reputation as a run-with player.
Ben came off with scratches all over his body for whatever reason and that night proved a massive education for him. He learnt that the better you get, the more attention you receive, even if he wasn't going to come up against a Liberatore every week. It was a testament to how good he was so early in his career.
In almost three decades of coaching only a handful of players I have dealt with worked as hard on their game as Ben. We got into a habit of doing some touch work at the end of training. It was a simple exercise of him handpassing and me punching the ball back to him, just getting his touch right. Very quickly it got to the stage where he had to have that touch work, particularly at the end of the week, or he wouldn't leave the field. He needed that Linus blanket.
In relation to Ben's much publicised battle with drugs, I was interviewed for his documentary. I don't know if my segment has made the cut but my question to Ben was "were you on drugs when I was coaching you?"
He nodded to suggest he had been on something during our four-year association but I don't know what.
I was totally unaware of it. I would like to have been more versed in looking for the characteristics of drug abuse and addiction but it's not something we're taught as coaches.
I didn't see anything outside the norm. I saw a young man enjoying his football, playing as hard as he possibly could, and developing into a very good footballer.
When I left at the end of 1999 I was totally oblivious to anything that was taking place, through ignorance. I didn't understand the drug culture the youth were confronted with at that time.
Even though I had four children myself roughly the same age as Ben, I really had no idea.
It was a shock when I found out. I couldn't find any reason why this was taking place.
At Collingwood we interviewed Ben after he was sacked by West Coast and then suspended by the AFL for a year. It's the only occasion I wanted the club board in charge of recruiting.
The football department spent hours doing due diligence interviewing people including Ben.
He was very, very honest, informing us where he was at and it was warts and all. He hid nothing from us.
We took it back to the board and the board said no, which made it easy for me because I was emotionally attached. Ben and my kids virtually grew up together and I'd caught up with him for coffee a bit during his troubled times.
Fortunately it was taken out of my hands because I would have certainly said yes.
Clearly the club had a very good foundation for not proceeding. Richmond threw Ben a lifeline. He grabbed it and prospered.
If the board was agreeable I'd certainly take Ben on in some capacity at Collingwood. I think he's got a lot to offer.
We as a football community have learnt so much now about the drug problem through Ben's openness and honesty. I'd certainly be encouraging him to approach the AFL to see if he can be involved in some capacity, if he wants to.
Ben might be about to finish as a football player but I don't think he's finished as a football person. I and so many others I've spoken to wish Ben every success with the rest of his life.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/ben-bombshell-i-never-knew-cousins-was-using-drugs-on-my-watch/story-e6frg7mf-1225907970098
