BEN COUSINS [merged]

[3rogerd]

mail around is that he might retire tomorrow?

And he wanted to retire at the start of the year, thus his lack lustre pre season

amazing what  trip to the Epworth can do for you.

[jackstar is back again]

And the only reason he went to the epworth is that Dr Hickey works out of there

[one-eyed]

Here's a video of the best of Ben Cousins. A couple of Tiger Benny moments chucked on at the end.

http://www.afl.com.au/video/tabid/76/contentid/289507/the+best+of+cousins/default.aspx

[TigerLand]

mail around is that he might retire tomorrow?

And he wanted to retire at the start of the year, thus his lack lustre pre season

Incorrect Jack, he wanted to finish football positively. He's done that now, up until only recently has he recaptured the form many said he wouldn't, so he can retire in peace.

[one-eyed]

Prodigal son has earned forgiveness
Greg Baum
August 17, 2010
 
BEN COUSINS had it all and threw it all away, but in the end got enough of it back to be able this morning to announce his retirement with dignity. It is not the ending he would have chosen, but it is at least an ending of his choosing. It is not a fabulous end, but is the end of a fable. Cousins is football's prodigal son.

At the time of his fall, it was hard to feel sorry for Cousins. Seemingly, he was the constantly and instantly gratified child of an indulgent club, city and code, with neither the will nor the incentive to change. He abused drugs, which ultimately could not be helped. He also abused a privilege, which could. But he did change. West Coast can take some credit, for standing by its decision to cut ties. It must have been tempting to welcome him back, but there were too many ghosts. The AFL's stance was strong to the point of draconian. Cousins was convicted of drugs offences neither by a court nor the AFL tribunal, but instead was suspended for bringing the game into disrepute and subjected to an almost cruel drug-testing regime. The AFL said it was tough love. Its validation is that Cousins copped it.

Richmond deserves credit for taking on Cousins when no other club would, and it was not because he was no longer capable of playing football. Of course, no one was obliged. The game had a duty of care, but no one club did. And the perennially crisis-ridden Tigers were unlikely rescuers. Adopting Cousins meant bearing up to the circus that ensued without any guarantee of gain, and the possibility of more ridicule. But the Tigers' least reward was a fund of goodwill that has lasted.

Most of all, Cousins deserved credit for his redemption. He squared up to his addiction and to the conditions imposed on him, looked the world in the eye, donned the guernsey and threw himself into the job again. He played some good footy for the Tigers and helped to give them a direction. If he was no longer a game-changer, that was only to be expected. He and they hoped for three good years, and got two. Both can be grateful.

It was often said of the reconstituted Cousins that he needed to play football; it was his therapy. So is the film he has made of his journey: he did it for himself, but if it reaches and touches others, that is a gratifying side-effect. Its airing, as much as his last game, will be his closure. It might be that by this awkward and incidental chain of events, the game that ruined Cousins saves him.

The federal election campaign demonstrates again how much images condition our thinking. Cousins leaves behind a confusing set. There is Cousins, chest out, oiled arms glistening, bursting through half-forward again, irresistible. There is Cousins on the dais with the premiership cup in 2006, no longer captain, but in every other way the embodiment of roost-ruling West Coast.

There are later images of Cousins, shirtless and the worse for wear; slumped in a gutter; lost. Finally, there are the images of Cousins as a Richmond player, still identifiable as the superstar he was, but scaled down. People will choose for themselves which to remember. Did Cousins bring the game into disrepute? Plainly. Did he do all within the powers of one man to make good that damage? Yes. The biblical story of the prodigal son has no meaning except for his prodigality in the first place. If it was told today, there is a risk that it would be remembered only for the prodigality, not its moral, which is about the redeeming power of forgiveness. Ben Cousins has earned that much grace.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/prodigal-son-has-earned-forgiveness-20100816-1270w.html

[one-eyed]

One test ends, a new, bigger one begins
Jake Niall
August 17, 2010
 
FOOTBALL will be another habit that Ben Cousins will have to learn to live without. If this sounds trite, consider what might have happened to Cousins had Richmond not called out his name with the final choice in the 2008 pre-season draft.

Football preceded drugs in Cousins's life. Unlike the substances and lifestyle that almost destroyed him, football has been primarily positive for Cousins, especially over the past two years.

The game cared for Cousins. It gave him structure and meaning. When he found trouble, his club would intervene.

Teammates, officials and managers looked out for his welfare. When he fell - overdosed on sleeping pills, went AWOL or descended into an abyss - others would pick up the pieces.

Typically, addicts do not have the support network of a organisation with the nuturing power of an AFL club, which compelled Cousins to train, to attend meetings, to be involved in a collective cause that dragged him away from the throes of addiction.

Football urine-tested him three times a week. It forced him to stay clean, albeit only from certain substances. Legal substances - alcohol, prescription medication - are no less dangerous than cocaine when the person imbibing them cannot control his urges.

But the game also covered for him, because he was an exceptional footballer. It is arguable that football allowed Cousins to take liberties that others would never have been permitted.

Alternatively, his status as a good-looking champion meant that his addiction became one of the nation's most popular spectator sports - as the ratings for his documentary doubtless will attest.

Cousins had the misfortune to be Australia's first true celebrity drug addict. In the United States, dozens of Hollywood stars check in and out of rehab, in full public view.

We did not have anyone of Robert Downey jnr's ilk. We don't have a confessional culture; here, it is possible for public figures to deal with their addictive demons on the quiet.

Not Cousins. As a superstar in a obsessively followed sport, he couldn't avoid scrutiny. He filled the celebrity vacuum. We in the media will have to kick the Cousins habit, too.

Cousins's challenge is to find an outlet that keeps him focused, prevents him from keeping bad company, gives him control of his life.

His old manager, Ricky Nixon, said yesterday Cousins would need a calling that ''kept his adrenalin pumping. You've got to find something in your life to get you out of bed each day,'' he added.

The cautionary examples of what can happen to a player with self-destructive tendencies are Wayne Carey and Gary Ablett snr. Cousins is a different beast to that pair, since his problems with substance abuse began much earlier.

He represents a significant challenge to the AFL Players' Association, which has been sympathetic to Cousins, without ever having to deal directly with his issues.

When he is retired, Richmond's responsibility ends, as West Coast's did when it cut him.

Perhaps for the first time in his adult life, Cousins will have to take responsibility for his actions himself. He will not be accountable to anyone, either. If he falters, he will not be letting anyone down, but himself.

No teammates will be there to bring him into line. No coach or official will crack the whip.

Then, it will be up to Ben.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/one-test-ends-a-new-bigger-one-begins-20100816-1270x.html

[one-eyed]

Wise time to end Ben Cousins's stellar career

    * Mike Sheahan
    * From: Herald Sun
    * August 17, 2010

MOST Richmond supporters will be disappointed that Ben Cousins is moving on, yet it seems to be his decision, made for all the right reasons.

As serviceable (and marketable) as he has been in his brief time with the Tigers, he has decided he is ready for the next phase of his life.

He isn't old at 32 (June 30), but apparently believes the time is right for himself and the club that threw him a lifeline.

Cousins and Richmond have been good for each other, particularly club for player.

Those who should know say his return to the AFL after 12 months off the scene (2008) for his drug-related problems has been critically important in his ongoing battle.

Only time will tell.

What is known is Richmond extended a hand to him when football looked set to cut him adrift - he was taken at No. 6 in the 2009 pre-season draft, literally the last player picked on draft day.

While he has caused them the odd bout of heartburn, he has boosted membership, mentored younger players and been a solid on-field contributor.

If he maintains his form for the final two rounds, he should finish top six or seven in the best and fairest.

But, it needs to be remembered, he once was a champion at a powerful club - he finished top three in West Coast's best and fairest award from 1998-2006.

That's a phenomenal record.

The Richmond Cousins hasn't lost his ability to locate the football, nor his creative handball, but he can't run as hard as he once did, certainly can't kick with the penetration of old.

Fifteen seasons and 268 games, plus a predilection for substances both illegal and harmful takes a heavy toll, regardless of how hard a man works to stay fit.

Cousins apparently believes the time is right for him and the club that adopted him to part ways.

It is suggested in those infamous informed circles that the Tigers were open to the idea of him playing on.

I'm not so sure. That scenario will sit well with the supporters, but my guess is coach Damien Hardwick will be happy to move forward without the distraction, real or perceived.

The club doesn't need any more Cuzzie incidents, particularly any that involve subjects such as caffeine and sleeping pills and lead to rushed ambulance trips to hospital.

Everyone got out of that one better than they might have expected.

I'm genuinely pleased for him that he played on at Richmond. He extended his career by two seasons, added some real-life drama and theatre to the game, and carried himself publicly with good humour and extraordinary patience.

He has been a great footballer, a champion. Not sure how many know him on this side of the country, but it's hard not to admire him.

He has continued to put himself out there and you never hear him complain. On or off field. Not even when the AFL took a year out of his career without a specific charge.

While he will be remembered for his public battle against drug addiction he should also be remembered for his extraordinary capacity to run at high speed, to find the ball in heavy traffic, to burn his opponents, and play the team game.

His plans post-football are not known, but something will come along. Such is life.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/wise-time-to-end-ben-cousinss-stellar-career/story-e6frf9jf-1225906085540

[one-eyed]

Ben Cousins a teacher, champ and rock star in equal measure
Nathan Brown
Herald Sun
August 17, 2010

MY FIRST experience with 'Cuz' outside the football club walls was grabbing a bite to eat not long after he arrived at the club.

He suggested we go somewhere quiet and low key as it was still a daily news circus around his arrival in Melbourne and being drafted by Richmond. I soon realised that Ben doesn't do low key all that well.

We sat outside at Veludo in St Kilda and the first drink he ordered was a Bloody Mary, which came out in a thin shaped glass about 30cm tall with a celery stork and leaves coming out the top of it resembling something you might drink on the beach in The Bahamas.

Then the entourage arrived, his good mate (Bulldogs boxing coach) Timmy Smith popped down for a bite, followed by Ben's driver, followed by Carlie Merenda (the girl who looks after his day-to-day life), her friend and then a couple more guys I'd never met.

Before long we had to get an extra table and some more seats and the quiet bite had turned into a crew of 12 and a table-full of Bloody Marys, celery storks and a Bahaman atmosphere.

The first thing I noticed about Cuz around the club was he always had a football in his hands. Whether he was doing weights, getting physio or sitting in a team meeting, the football never left his hands.

This is something most kids do when they are young, but he had been out of the game for over 12 months and obviously wanted to make sure he still had his touch come Round 1.

Whenever you talk about leadership and Ben Cousins' name comes up people seem surprised when you say he's a good role model for the young kids at the club.

People smile wryly and think you're joking.

You have to work closely with someone on a day-to-day basis to fully appreciate what they bring to the table and to be able to see patterns of leadership emerge.

Most people see Cuz as the good-time boy that his colourful past and laid-back nature have led us to believe he is. People forget that he was a captain of a successful and powerful football club at 23.

Being injured constantly in my last season I had many occasions where the only thing at training I could do was watch.

The thing I noticed time and time again in any stoppage work or match play was that Cuz was the one blocking for his teammates.

He had some great insights into stoppage work and taught the young players like Brett Deledio, Nathan Foley, Trent Cotchin and more than likely Dustin Martin all his secrets this year.

Interestingly, the Tigers are ranked No. 3 in the AFL for clearances.

Whenever he speaks at the club, people listen. The kids hang off his every word and they should be soaking up everything they can like sponges.

He tells stories and holds court like few people can and has an unmistakable laugh. It's like an engine starting and can be heard from the next room.

And he's not shy about laughing at his own jokes, the engine starting to rumble just as the punchline drops.

In the early days at Punt Rd I'm not sure the boys knew how to take the pee out of him, or even talk to him.

Then one day after training Daniel Connors took an Artline 90 black texta to his own stomach and drew across the top of his navel "Such Is Life" and walked into the showers where Ben and a few of the boys were.

The boys - and Cuz - erupted.

After a number of Sunday games I would end up back at Cuz's house where Carlie would cook up a big roast and we would have a few reds to recover from the game.

One night a few of the boys were there - including skipper Chris Newman and Deledio - when Cuz silenced the room so he could recite a scene by Al Pacino from Any Given Sunday.

In this scene, NFL coach Pacino delivers a four-minute speech to his team about the inches we need in life and sport. It's very inspiring. Cuz had memorised this speech word for word, with the same movements, actions and facial expressions. It was delivered brilliantly, and all with a glass of red in his hand.

His swagger made me laugh every day as he'd walk into the club, coffee in one hand, footy in the other, big grin on his face, wearing cargo pants, black Air Jordans and a rotating singlet, bronzed up like he'd spent six weeks in Bali.

He's been good for Richmond and he's a legend at the West Coast Eagles, where he won a premiership and a Brownlow.

He's a rock star who's lived his life more than regular people could ever begin to imagine - and he's lived to tell the tale.

Nathan Brown played alongside Ben Cousins at Richmond last year. Brown played 219 games for the Tigers and Western Bulldogs from 1997-2009.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/ben-cousins-a-teacher-champ-and-rock-star-in-equal-measure/story-e6frf9if-1225906110585

[one-eyed]

Survivor Ben Cousins exits game with dignity

* Patrick Smith
 * The Australian
 * August 17, 2010

BEN Cousins will not be part of the continued re-emergence of Richmond next year.

He sought advice from no one, taking counsel only from his own body. The deeper he went into the season it became clear that after 268 games, the creaks had become loud groans.

The champion midfielder told the club of his intentions on Sunday night. In informing coach Damien Hardwick and football boss Craig Cameron that he would not play on, he was declining an invitation from the club to play on next year.

The Tigers wanted him to be there because he has finished this season off as one of the club's six best players. His ability was required, his experience and leadership enriching. But Cousins was not merely thinking of bones and muscles that were growing crankier by the match. He is aware that his every action draws media attention and if he was forced to run about with Coburg for whatever reason next season, then it would be a sorry exit for him and unwarranted scrutiny of the club.

Both Richmond and Cousins have learnt and grown together since the day he was selected to make his comeback to football with the last pick of the pre-season draft in December 2008. It was a controversial decision by then coach Terry Wallace who was entering the final season of his five-year, mostly unproductive, tenure at Punt Road.

The recruitment of Cousins made president Gary March fume. He was vehemently against it and the already strained relationship with Wallace had reached its lowest point.

It was a gamble that initially looked doomed. With Cousins at Richmond the expectations of supporters soared to unrealistic, even dangerous, levels. The club was not sophisticated enough to handle what was both a delicate and volatile situation.

More than 86,000 were present when Cousins and Richmond took on Carlton in the season opener. The Tigers were thrashed and Cousins was injured. Richmond would win only two of the first 10 matches and Wallace would step down after round 12.

With Cameron becoming more influential and strengthening the football department and with Hardwick, a patient but innovative coach, the club was turned around this year. Cousins played no small part. While elements in the media have tried to play down the importance of his presence on the field, teammates acknowledge he has been a significant general during the matches.

None of this can hide the fact that the relationship could be volatile. Cousins was suspended for his role in a boozy aftermath following a loss to Sydney in April this year. It was later discovered he punched drunk teammate Daniel Connors to subdue him and then gave fellow defender Luke McGuane a sleeping tablet.

Then in July he was taken to hospital where he spent a night in intensive care after an adverse reaction to powerful sleeping medication.

This was not a helpful look for a man recovering from a fearful addiction to drugs, something that will become apparent when Channel Seven broadcasts a documentary on Cousins and his battle later this month.

While all of this was distracting and time-consuming it did not outweigh his value to the club in general. It is why Cameron said if Hardwick wanted Cousins to play on then the club would re-contract him for 2011 at least. But Cousins's body would have the last word.

Cousins will be missed by many. Not just Richmond supporters. The football community warmed to Cousins, the champion battling an illness that could have taken his life. His enthusiasm was intoxicating, his joy in victory with his young teammates irresistible. While Cousins told Hardwick and Cameron of his decision on Sunday night, as reported exclusively in The Australian yesterday, he decided not to make his decision public until this morning.

He wanted the time to meticulously prepare for his announcement. The professional to the very end. At the Sunday meeting Cousins impressed the Richmond officials with his determination that any decision he made would have a positive impact on the club. He has been good for Richmond and the club has been a sanctuary to him.

Cousins is one of Australian sport's great stories. From Brownlow medallist and superstar, to ignominy and derision and then the long claw back to health and overwhelming admiration. He will be remembered as one of the game's great players who overcame circumstances that fail to crush only the bravest of people. His farewell game in round 22 deserves to be a celebration of a footballer and a survivor in equal parts.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/survivor-ben-cousins-exits-game-with-dignity/story-e6frg7mf-1225906089724

[one-eyed]

Here's Cousins' career stats....

[jackstar is back again]

mail around is that he might retire tomorrow?

And he wanted to retire at the start of the year, thus his lack lustre pre season

Incorrect Jack, he wanted to finish football positively. He's done that now, up until only recently has he recaptured the form many said he wouldn't, so he can retire in peace.

Correct actually, he had a few issues at the start of the year , to his credit ,he has had a great 6-8 weeks

[TigerLand]

mail around is that he might retire tomorrow?

And he wanted to retire at the start of the year, thus his lack lustre pre season

Incorrect Jack, he wanted to finish football positively. He's done that now, up until only recently has he recaptured the form many said he wouldn't, so he can retire in peace.

Correct actually, he had a few issues at the start of the year , to his credit ,he has had a great 6-8 weeks

I'm glad you've responded I know your wrong here lol issues aside he still wanted to play football at RFC. It doesn't matter it's all ended on a win-win for both parties now, glad he mentioned about developing players going forward.

[one-eyed]

Cuz and the Tigers a perfect fit
richmondfc.com.au
By Tony Greenberg 6:31 PM Tue 17 August, 2010


In April 2009, leading football writer, Jake Niall, interviewed triple Brownlow Medallist, Ian Stewart, for an article in ‘The Age’ newspaper, comparing the man who won Richmond’s last Brownlow (back in 1971), with the Tigers’ then recently-acquired champion from West Coast, Ben Cousins.

Stewart, who arrived at Punt Road in 1971 with some personal issues that led to his departure from St Kilda, where he had won two Brownlows, had some salient advice for Cousins . . .

“He’s got to embrace them (Richmond) as well.  I mean, just to go out and play good football, there’s got to be more than that.  You know, he’s got to involve himself not only with training, which I know he does, I’ve heard he does, but he’s . . . got to get involved in the club,” Stewart said.

“Make sure that you embrace Richmond because you’ll never find yourself in a better club.

“I think that it’s the perfect club for Ben, perfect club.  It’s been a wonderful club with a soul.  Sometimes they lose their way.  But I’ve never forgotten the time at Richmond and how they embraced me and that helped me, and I’m sure that spirit still exists . . .

“If I were coaching, I would have chased Ben.  I feel that he is in their best players and to get a recruit that’s in your top six is good recruiting.  I also feel that probably Ben won’t reach the heights, or the standard that he reached before, but I think that he’s a great asset for the Richmond Football Club.”

Well, 16 months on, Stewart’s words ring loud and true.  The union between Cousins and Richmond has been short, but there can be no denying it’s been sweet.  Richmond has provided Cousins with a safe haven to continue his league career.  Cousins, in turn, has embraced Tigerland in a manner that would make fellow Brownlow Medallist, Stewart, proud.

At today’s packed media conference, in the gymnasium at Punt Road, announcing his retirement, Cousins repeated what he has said publicly previously:  “I am forever indebted to the (Richmond) Football Club for the opportunity to play footy again”.

Nine months ago, I stood in the same area when Tiger great Matthew Richardson revealed that he was hanging up his boots after a wonderful career.

It’s hard to compare the various emotions attached to the two retirement media conferences . . .  With ‘Richo’ there’s a myriad of magic memories from his 17 seasons, 282 games and 800 goals for Richmond.  ‘Cuz’, on the other hand, will bow out with just 32 games in two seasons at the Club.

Yet, every player on the Tigers’ list, all the coaches, and just about every Club staff member, was crammed into the gym listening to Cousins’ retirement speech, and hanging off his every word, while, at the same time, trying to avoid being inadvertently belted by the somewhat frantic actions of the jostling TV camera-men in the room.

I vividly recall the rapture that engulfed Punt Road a week before Christmas 2008, when Ben Cousins was taken by the Tigers with the last pick in the Pre-season Draft.  The scenes that greeted Cousins as he trotted out on to the hallowed turf of Punt Road Oval for his first training run, were quite remarkable, with about 2000 Richmond fans in attendance, some already with his No. 32 on the back of their Tiger jumpers.

Mark Opie has been Richmond’s Team Manager since the late 1990s.  In that time, he’s witnessed a lot of players come and go through the door at Punt Road.  There’s no doubt in his mind that Cousins is the best all-round leader he’s seen at Tigerland in terms of his ability to engender a spirit of unity.

“He sincerely incorporates everyone at the Club,” Opie said.

“I remember speaking to Craig McRae (three-time Brisbane premiership player and former Richmond development coach) out on the ground at the MCG just before a game last year.  It was two o’clock and the players were warming up, with the match only 10 minutes away.  ‘Cuzzy’ was buzzing around - literally getting to everyone out there, encouraging them.

I said to ‘Fly’ (Craig McRae) that he is the best leader I have ever seen in my time in football and his reply was: ‘He is the best leader I’ve seen in my playing and coaching career!’  Coming from a football person as well credentialed as Craig McRae, that’s really saying something . . .

“Cuzzy is polite, considerate and gives everybody - no matter what their role at the Club is - his time, whether that’s a few seconds or a few minutes.

“Last Saturday night was a classic example.  We had a surprise fancy-dress function for the players and their partners, but Cuzzy got injured that afternoon, so he didn’t think he would get there, which was fair enough.

“Anyway, he did turn up and, as he walks into the place, he seems all these fancy-dress costumes.  Cuzzy came up to me and said, ‘Listen, mate, I’m just staying for 10 minutes because I’ve got my dad and brother here with me and my leg’s bloody sore’.  So, I said, ‘yeah, no worries, mate’.

“Four hours later, Cuzzy’s dressed up in some costume, showing off his biceps, his brother’s dressed up as a jockey, and his old man is dressed up as a judge . . . That’s Cuzzy for you - a real team player.”

Opie also recalled another Cousins incident, which highlighted his leadership and team-first mantra.  It occurred following the Round 17 match against Essendon at the MCG last year, which Richmond won by five points, with Jack Riewoldt starring, kicking six goals.

“Jade Rawlings, who was coaching then, made mention in the post-game meeting of Jack’s great game.  Cuzzy was obviously already thinking, don’t worry about today, worry about what’s going to happen next with Jack,” Opie said.

“So, he just took Jack quietly aside in the rooms and gave him some sound advice on how to prepare for the upcoming week, coming off such a good performance.  He didn’t lay down the law to him, but just firmly advised what would be best for him.

“And, there was another example a few weeks ago, at the three-quarter-time break when we were getting pumped.

“The game was well and truly lost, but Cuzzy got all the playing group together and said, in inimitable style, ‘This is where you just bust your guts until you throw up’!

“The fact we were 70 points down, or whatever, was irrelevant - completely irrelevant -  to him.  It was just a matter of how the group responded.

“He’s an absolute star and he’s been very good for the Richmond Football Club.  But, make no mistake, the Richmond Football Club has been very, very good for him.  So, it’s been a great marriage, if you like . . .”

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/6301/newsid/100593/default.aspx

[Tigermonk]

I'm glad you've responded I know your wrong here lol issues aside he still wanted to play football at RFC. It doesn't matter it's all ended on a win-win for both parties now, glad he mentioned about developing players going forward.

prove him wrong, dont just tell him.  show your hand  

[Ox]

the press conference today made it seem as though Cuz has always been a Richmond player.
Anyone who cares to assess his tenure as wrong is a fool.

Midfield coach and eventually Head coach.
These kids will give there all for BC.
Sign him now