Cousins hits ground running
richmondfc.com.au
By Mic Cullen
12:45 PM Thu 05 February, 2009
BEN COUSINS has made an encouraging return to the football field, playing the first half of Richmond’s intra-club match at Gosch’s Paddock on Thursday morning.
Cousins, watched by about 1000 spectators, picked up about a dozen touches and improved as the game went on after struggling early against speedster Matty White.
The 31-year-old’s use of the ball was good and his pick-ups generally as clean as ever, although after most short-sharp runs he was bending over, hands on shorts, Robert Harvey-style.
Assistant coach Brian Royal said the club was satisfied with what it had seen from Cousins in the game.
“Look, we were happy that Ben got through the first half,” he said.
“He was playing in probably our second side, and that was more for Ben to just get back into the game, but we were really happy that he got through the two quarters we’d planned to play.
“He certainly got his hands on the footy.”
But Royal disagreed with the assertion that the Brownlow medallist was lacking match fitness.
“Well, I didn’t notice that; I thought he actually adapted to the pace of the game reasonably well.
“The thing with game plans, they’re quite different from club to club, and Ben’s probably adapting to the speed of our game.
“We probably play a little bit more through the corridor than West Coast, so it takes a little bit of time to adapt to that.”
Royal said the planning for Cousins was still right on track.
“Our plan all along has had Ben playing round one against Carlton –that hasn’t changed.
“The process from now until then will probably be determined on how he pulls up today, but we were extremely happy that he got through two quarters.
“He definitely won’t be playing round-one NAB Cup, but we’ve just got to see.
“Today’s the most he’s done from a footy point of view, and certainly the physicality of the game, and the intensity in these conditions, has probably been something he hasn’t been able to cope with the last couple of months.
“We need to see how he pulls up.
“But round-one NAB Cup is certainly out.”
Cousins' time at West Coast was peppered with back-related hamstring rest periods and scares, but Royal pointed out that the tear he copped in the 2007 qualifying final against Port Adelaide was his only major injury to the actual muscle.
“It’s quite interesting – people say he’s got a history, but I think he’s done it once. I don’t think you’d call that a history.
“So it’s so important for Ben to get the rehab into not only his [hamstring], but also his quads and calves and all that sort of stuff.
“I think when you get to the age of 30 … Ben’s a terrific trainer and a hard trainer, and we’ve just got to manage that process and he’s got to manage that well.”
http://richmondfc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/6301/default.aspx?newsid=71743
