Sidelined Cousins advises Tigers on tactics at Subiaco
Justin Chadwick Perth | February 15, 2009
BEN Cousins won't take the field against Fremantle today but Richmond coach Terry Wallace will pick the brain of the former West Coast star as the Tigers look to consolidate their recent good form at Subiaco Oval.
Richmond, possessing a host of fleet-footed midfielders, destroyed the Dockers by 64 points at Subiaco Oval in round four last year before returning in round 15 to hand the Eagles a 77-point spanking.
Wallace felt there were still lessons to be learnt about how to play at the long and narrow venue and said Cousins, who played 110 times at the ground during his 238-game career at West Coast, would provide valuable input.
"Obviously he wants to be involved as much as what he possibly can," Wallace said after training yesterday. "I thought there was a couple of things (he could add), all to do with the playing style here and what works and what doesn't.
"We've got a team meeting tonight and he'll probably have some involvement in that."
Richmond has named a strong line-up to play the Dockers, with only Cousins, Mark Coughlan, Trent Cotchin and Kane Johnson the notable absentees.
Fremantle, minus skipper Matthew Pavlich and Chris Tarrant, has named a host of youngsters, led by last year's No. 3 pick in the national draft, Stephen Hill.
Paul Hasleby has been included for his first game since rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee in last year's opening round of the pre-season competition, while David Mundy will captain the side in Pavlich's absence.
"Harvs (Dockers coach Mark Harvey) rang me on Tuesday," Mundy said.
"I was at the dentist so with numb lips and a sore jaw I rang him back and he told me I was going to be captain."
Wallace said he would use the hit-out to assess the form of some of his fringe players.
"I reckon we've got five guys who I need to see who virtually have hardly played, or not played at all," Wallace said.
"That's why you love coming to these games, to see whether someone can step up.
"Is there one of your boys who can make a difference? One that comes to mind is Angus Graham.
"We've struggled for an extra ruckman, we know Freo have got reasonably strong, good ruckmen, and Angus played at the end of 2007 and then did an ankle, so we virtually lost him for 12 months.
"So to see how he's come back with another summer under his belt … as a coach that's the sort of stuff you are looking to see, whether he can add anything to the squad for the year."
Cousins, still overwhelmed by the support he has received since joining Richmond, believes the club is ready to "take the next step".
The Tigers have reached the finals just once in the past 13 years but Cousins, who has been thrown a lifeline by the club, despite spending more than a year out of the game battling drug addiction, is confident Wallace's side is on the verge of something special.
"They're a developing side, an improving side," Cousins told a Richmond function in Perth on Friday night.
"I think I'm arriving at the club at a good time where they've been together for a number of years now and they're ready to take the next step."
Cousins, who was at West Coast for 12 years, said he had been blown away by the support he had received from footy fans since coming clean about his addiction to drugs.
"The footy public in general has been fantastic," Cousins said. "It surprised me in a way.
"I couldn't ask for anything more, from the average football follower on the street to the Richmond faithful that made me feel welcome.
"Some unforeseeable things happened (earlier in my career) but I think that's the way life works.
"But I'm happy to be at a Melbourne side with a good atmosphere and there's aspects of footy that I haven't experienced yet, that hopefully aren't too far away."
Wallace said Cousins could make his Tigers debut in a fortnight.
"He's done everything that we've asked," Wallace said.
"We've put him on a program that might have him available NAB two, maybe NAB three. But we'll give him another fortnight's training just to make sure his body's right."
Cousins, who also battled a series of hamstring problems when he last played in the AFL, in 2007, admitted he still wasn't at peak fitness.
"I'm still a little bit behind the guys," he said.
"Joining the group in December probably wasn't the ideal preparation but I think, looking towards a season that's six weeks away, barring any injury I should be cherry ripe."
Tigers vice-captain Nathan Foley said Cousins' leadership qualities had already strengthened the club.
"Ben's a natural leader," Foley said. "As soon as he came to the club you just knew he had those leadership attributes.
"I've had the luxury of working with him in the midfield over the summer and his advice has been great so far."
Richmond president Gary March said membership sales were up 25 per cent, thanks largely to Cousins' arrival at Punt Road.
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