ANDREW BEWS: Footy comebacks rarely a fairytale
Geelong Advertsider
February 25th, 2009
HISTORY would suggest that Ben Cousins faces a tough challenge to walk back into AFL footy after a year off.
You only have to look at some of the failed comebacks of past years to be reminded how quickly the game can pass by its champions.
Tony 'Plugger' Lockett came out of retirement to play for Sydney and pulled the pin before the season was out. Wayne Carey looked a shadow of the player he once was when he played for Adelaide. Tim Watson ended up a bench player for the Bombers when he made his comeback.
Possibly the only two players who were able to return to somewhere near their best were former team mates of mine, Mark Bairstow and Gary Ablett Sr.
Bairstow had a season off and then came back, but in my opinion, he took a good 12 months to regain the quality and standard that he had set previously. His was not a disastrous comeback because he still had age on his side. The same with Gazza. Ablett was in his late 20s when he first retired and therefore did not take as long to rediscover his magic.
Cousins is 31 this year.
Although Richmond fans are hailing him as the great white hope, it has to remembered that he has had an enforced 12 months out of the game which followed a season with West Coast where he barely played due to ongoing injury and discipline issues.
In effect, he has had almost two years off playing at a time when the game has evolved super quick.
In 2006, when the Eagles won their premiership, the game was played with a heavy emphasis on defence. The game, thanks largely to Geelong's attacking mindset, has turned full circle since.
Game patterns have changed. Cousins may find the well dry where he once hunted up his kicks. All the training in the world will not make up for lack of match play in the modern era.
The test for Ben will be how long it takes before he regains his game sense.
Tomorrow night he gets his first chance for the Tigers in the NAB Cup. It will be the perfect opportunity for him to find his feet in a game where there is some pressure, but the stakes are not at their highest.
I am sure the Richmond coaching staff and Cousins have realistic expectations about what role he will play, particularly early in the season. But the problem may lie with the expectations placed upon both him and the club by fans and the media alike.
Whether he likes it or not, he has become the face of the Tigers.
His profile is higher than Nathan Brown, Nathan Foley and especially the skipper Chris Newman. Only Matthew Richardson would probably outshine him in the eyes of Tiger fans.
So what can we expect from Cousins this year?
Personally, I don't think we will see him running around like a headless chook not knowing what to do or where to go. He is a natural footballer. I do think, however, he will play with a conservative approach to the game and just have a role within the team structure, rather than be the star. Foley, Brett Deledio, Trent Cotchin, Newman, Jake King, Kane Johnson and Shane Tuck will continue to be the engine room. Cousins will simply add to the mix.
A good example of how the Tigers may use Cousins this season could be in the way Hawthorn managed Shane Crawford over the past few years.
Crawford was the Hawks' running machine and ball magnet for over a decade, much like Cousins was at West Coast. But in his final two seasons, he spent a lot of time on the bench and also found himself playing a lot through the defensive area as a free-wheeling midfielder. He often found himself without an opponent due to clever rotations and remained very effective, without being the dominant force that he once had been.
That management of Crawford undoubtedly allowed him to get through the final couple of seasons without breaking down. It almost convinced him that he could go around again.
The days of Cousins playing 90 per cent midfield and collecting 35-plus touches per week are over.
His recruitment to the Tigers is simply icing on the cake. He is no longer the main event and the quicker Tiger fans and the media realise that, the better it will be for him.
I hope he has a fulfilling last few years of football and can find his place as a cog in the wheel at Richmond. My concern will be how long his body can handle the bashing and crashing that AFL football dishes out week in, week out.
His last appearances for West Coast were marred by soft tissue injuries which he simply couldn't escape from. And history will show you that most older players that start having hamstring problems reach the end sooner rather than later. And it happens to the very best. Leigh Matthews and Michael Voss spring to mind.
Seeing the great Plugger suffer the indignity of riding the exercise bike on the boundary line for the Swans in his last year was tough for all footy sentimentalists. There would be nothing worse for Ben than to be in the hands of the medicos constantly, or even worse, running around at Coburg if all doesn't go to plan.
http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2009/02/25/53225_geelong_sports.html
