Ben Cousins's final fling doubt Tony Sheahan
Sunday Herald Sun
August 22, 2010 SUPERSTAR Ben Cousins faces an uphill battle to be fit for a farewell match after injuring his hamstring.
Cousins left the field late in the third quarter against St Kilda with soreness high on his left leg and could not go back on.
"I should be all right," he told Richmond club president Gary March and football manager Craig Cameron in the Etihad Stadium changerooms after the match.
Coach Damien Hardwick is hopeful his star midfielder, who announced his retirement during the week, can recover for next Sunday's clash against Port Adelaide one of his team's best yesterday.
"All we want to do is send him off with a win," Hardwick said. "To sing that song one last time would be terrific for him.
"He is an important player to our football club and we want to send him off in the best possible way."
He confirmed the 32-year-old would have scans on his left hamstring.
"He feels he just cramped in the hamstring," Hardwick said. "He'll have scans at some stage, but we're pretty positive with the right rehab and recovery, it'll get up, and we'll assess that during the week.
"We want him to finish on a positive note and we don't want him to do any damage. Ben will make the call and if he is right to play, he'll play."
Cousins had 20 disposals, eight marks and two tackles and was among the best afield when he went off.
"What he does is create the play," Hardwick said. "He is one of those guys who can make something out of nothing. He was very, very good.
"Through the middle of the ground you can see the quality of play he gets up and going and score involvements were very good, So he was a big loss after he went down."
Cousins's tore his left hamstring in his first game in the yellow and black against Carlton in Round 1, 2008. He missed weeks, that time.
Teammate and close friend Jake King was confident Cousins would play his finale for the Tigers.
"He'll make next week, the big fella. He wouldn't miss it for the world, and we'll make sure of that," King said.
"He will be all right. He'll get in the gym and do a few bicep curls, as he does, and get himself up."
King has his own injury concerns, with the fiery utility revealing he has been playing with a cracked rib.
The injury came in Round 17 against Collingwood, with teammate Andrew Browne cannoning into him during the last quarter.
"It is still a bit sore," he said. "You cop a knock every now and then and it takes the wind out of you and it takes a while to come back, but it's something I've learnt to deal with and push through it.
"We've got one week left and you throw your body into absolutely everything," the tough nut said.
A second-quarter clash yesterday with St Kilda's James Gwilt saw King floored momentarily after the pair went for a loose ball.
King regained his composure and leapt to his feet to resume play and was adamant he wouldn't give his opponent any satisfaction.
"It did knock the wind out of me, but I got up and puffed the chest out. It's hard being five foot nothing," King said.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/ben-cousinss-final-fling-doubt/story-e6frf9jf-1225908260603
