BEN COUSINS [merged]

[Infamy]

Looks like they have someone parked outside his house at all times.

[WilliamPowell]

Who bloody cares 

[one-eyed]

 

Cousins' friend to face drugs trial
AAP
March 16, 2009 03:59pm

A FRIEND of AFL star Ben Cousins will face trial for one of Australia's biggest ecstasy hauls.

Fabian Quaid, 31, is one of four men facing life sentences if convicted for conspiring to traffic 45kg of MDMA, also known as ecstasy.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25194078-5005961,00.html

[mightytiges]

Looks like they have someone parked outside his house at all times.

And at the Tulla and Perth airports  .

OMG they walk around in bare feet in their own house. They must be freaks  .

[one-eyed]

The big questions
Rohan Connolly | March 18, 2009

WHERE'S BEN COUSINS AT (ON THE FIELD)?

WE KNOW what he's had for lunch, we know where he's living. Now what about the not insignificant business of Ben Cousins' football? Getting there, gradually, would be the answer in a nutshell.

On a purely fitness level, the Brownlow medallist has had much ground to make up. He is still suffering plenty of soreness according to club sources, though his troublesome hamstrings haven't yet played up.

Cousins is clearly short on match fitness having played only 61 per cent of Richmond's NAB Cup game against Collingwood, when he was concussed, and about 71 per cent of the Tigers' practice match  with the Brisbane Lions last week.

In terms of skills, it's Cousins razor-sharp handball and his work at stoppages and the first receive that has most impressed the Tigers in pre-season training.

While there will be enormous hype surrounding his official debut next Thursday against former teammate, Carlton's Chris Judd, insiders don't expect Cousins to fully hit his straps until at least five or six games into the new season. By then, they believe, his
output could be double what it is currently.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/afl/the-big-questions/2009/03/18/1237054827154.html

[richmondrules]

insiders don't expect Cousins to fully hit his straps until at least five or six games into the new season. By then, they believe, his output could be double what it is currently.

  That'd be nice. 

[tigersalive]

insiders don't expect Cousins to fully hit his straps until at least five or six games into the new season. By then, they believe, his output could be double what it is currently.

  That'd be nice. 

So 62 possesions and 2 goals a week output?  Yeah that's be okay.   

[wayne]

insiders don't expect Cousins to fully hit his straps until at least five or six games into the new season. By then, they believe, his output could be double what it is currently.

  That'd be nice. 

So 62 possesions and 2 goals a week output?  Yeah that's be okay.   

Don't you mean 50 possies and 2 goals 

[tigersalive]

insiders don't expect Cousins to fully hit his straps until at least five or six games into the new season. By then, they believe, his output could be double what it is currently.

  That'd be nice. 

So 62 possesions and 2 goals a week output?  Yeah that's be okay.   

Don't you mean 50 possies and 2 goals 

Didn't he have 31 possessions last week?

I guess I'd settle for 50 possies though. 

[Infamy]

insiders don't expect Cousins to fully hit his straps until at least five or six games into the new season. By then, they believe, his output could be double what it is currently.

  That'd be nice. 

So 62 possesions and 2 goals a week output?  Yeah that's be okay.   

Don't you mean 50 possies and 2 goals 

Didn't he have 31 possessions last week?

I guess I'd settle for 50 possies though. 

Would also mean he needs to play 142% of the game

[Tiger Tragic]

Would also mean he needs to play 142% of the game

I believe he'll be running out at half time with the Auskick kids to make up the extra time.

[one-eyed]

A big year awaits for Ben and the game
WA Today | March 18, 2009 - 6:45PM

Issues as pivotal as expansion, how the game is played and the impact of the global economic crisis will all be major themes in the AFL this year.

But when the regular season starts on March 26, one man alone will have the spotlight.

Brownlow Medallist, former West Coast captain, self-confessed recovering drug addict and high-profile Richmond recruit Ben Cousins will return to AFL action that night against Carlton at the MCG.

His main opponent in the midfield will be his former star team-mate at the Eagles, Carton captain Chris Judd.

Cousins had an enforced season out of the game last year as he wrestled with his personal problems.

He is now 30 and his hamstrings may or may not withstand the rigours of competition.

But his return has attracted massive attention that, at times, has been over the top.

While the league have made it clear that Cousins is on his last chance, AFL chief operating officer Gillon McLachlan is excited by what is about to unfold.

"Everyone deserves a second chance, I've been incredibly pleased he's been able (to make the comeback)," McLachlan said.

"Ultimately, he is a guy with incredible presence.

"I don't know there is risk, because everyone knows where they stand - they know he's vulnerable, they know how hard it is for people who've had an addiction to deal with that.

"They know he's fighting it all the time, but everyone wants him to win."

http://www.watoday.com.au/sport/a-big-year-awaits-for-ben-and-the-game-20090318-923f.html?page=-1

[one-eyed]

Eddie still trying to justify not picking up Cousins  ....

-------------------------------------
Meanwhile, McGuire also said opting not to recruit West Coast great and new Tiger Ben Cousins was a "tough decision".

He said the Pies looked at "all of the issues outside of the obvious".

McGuire added Collingwood's young list, Cousins' age and hamstring injuries in 2007 were other contributing factors to the Pies not drafting him.

"We went into looking at Ben Cousins wanting to recruit him … when his documentary comes out, you'll see that we were looking at him when he wasn't right to play football," McGuire said.

"Ben was probably nearly right when St Kilda passed him and he got himself together and it's one of the great stories and let's hope it really goes well for him this year."

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/73509/default.aspx

[one-eyed]

Judd talking about Cousins....

Thoughts from cream of AFL crop
March 23, 2009

GEOFF McCLURE: How many times have you spoken to Ben Cousins since you left West Coast?

CHRIS JUDD: I couldn't tell you exactly how many times I've spoken to Ben since I left West Coast, but we do keep in touch. I caught up with him and some other friends for lunch about a month ago and it was great to see him going so well and enjoying his footy as much as he is. I, like most footy fans, am looking forward to seeing him play this year and hope he goes well.

GM: Ben must be the hardest man in footy to contact these days. Do you have your own hotline?

CJ: As he's become a topic of obsession for the media he's probably been a little hard to get a hold of from their perspective. However, for those that know him, he's always been accessible.

GM: Must have been difficult for you and he to grab a quiet lunch without the press poking its nose in. What sort of friendly banter was there about the prospect of playing against each other on Thursday?

CJ: I haven't spoken to him in any depth about round one. One of the things that happens when you catch up with other footballers is that you tend not to talk too much about footy as it is something which already occupies such a big part of your life.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/thoughts-from-cream-of-afl/2009/03/22/1237656769667.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

[one-eyed]

Cousins v Judd: a sweet script indeed
Tim Clarke | March 23, 2009 - 10:53AM

Ben Cousins lines up against former team-mate Chris Judd on Thursday night.

Ben Cousins has spoken of his relief at being out of his Perth "cell" - and said he could not think of a better comeback to the AFL than against his former captain and Eagles premiership team-mate Chris Judd.

A tumultuous two years for Cousins will pass its next milestone on Thursday when he plays his first AFL game since September 2007, in his new colours of Richmond against Carlton and their skipper.

And speaking on Melbourne radio this morning, Cousins said his move from WA had returned him to the structure he needed - after a year he compared to being in a jail cell waiting for a verdict to be passed on his future.

"I love it (in Melbourne) - the last 18 months in Perth I did not have any real structure in my life and I was just sitting around waiting for people to make a verdict on my future," Cousins said.

"It just felt like I was stuck in a cell.

"That is no disrespect to the people in Perth because they have been fantastic to me, but it is part of having a new routine, living in Melbourne with different local coffee shops that I can go to.

"And being back at a footy club in Richmond where I am really enjoying just rocking up to footy and having something to do every day.

"I am back on autopilot - places to be, just a bit of structure … especially when you are dealing with what I am dealing with you have got to second guess every decision you make."

Cousins' life of drama has seen him tear a hamstring in what turned out to be his final game for West Coast, get arrested in front of TV cameras on a Perth street, receive the sack from the club and a 12-month suspension from the AFL and then battle drug addiction in the public gaze.

His chance at footballing redemption came with the last choice of the final draft late last year, when Terry Wallace and the Tigers took a chance after St Kilda, Collingwood and Brisbane all turned Cousins down.

The Brownlow medallist said being picked up ahead of dozens of youngsters who had never played a game of AFL had been humbling.

"I was the last man drafted in the last draft," Cousins told Nova 100.

"I was on tenterhooks until late the night before, and I had a gut feeling I would not get picked and I was prepared for that.

"Anything could have happened the way things played out, and that was a humbling experience.

"The 90 kids around the country that had never played the game before got picked up before I did, and it takes awhile to get your head around.

"And that in itself was an indication my situation was a lot bigger than just a football decision."

Now with his own football decisions to make, Cousins said he could not wait to play again, and to face Judd in his first game back was the perfect script.

"It is exciting. In some respects it has been a long 18 months, and in others it has gone really quickly," Cousins said.

"I have enjoyed a really long and great career at West Coast, but with the circumstances that happened I can't think of a better way to resume my career than experiencing footy in Melbourne and at Richmond, one of the real traditional clubs.

"Twelve months ago I was at a mates place to watch Juddy play his first game (at Carlton) now I am getting ready to play against the skip … I could not ask for it to work out any better.

"I have not spoken to him for a week and a half, let the dust settle and I will see him out there Thursday night.

"But I am really looking forward to playing against him - but probably not quite as much as I look forward to playing with him."

http://www.watoday.com.au/sport/cousins-v-judd-a-sweet-script-indeed-20090323-96k9.html?page=-1