“I don’t like Richmond.
"I LOVE Richmond ❤️
"I will forever stay connected to the group,” - Ben Cousins on @Richmond_FC.
VIDEO: https://twitter.com/thefrontbar7/status/1780567196709867884-------------------
BEN COUSINS ON WHY HE STILL “LOVES” RICHMONDBy Andrew Slevison
SEN
18 April 2024After spending 2008 out of the game, Cousins was afforded a lifeline by Richmond who selected him with Pick 6 in the 2009 Pre-Season Draft.
He spent two seasons at the Tigers where he shared a locker room with the likes of Dustin Martin, Jack Riewoldt, Trent Cotchin, Shane Edwards, Alex Rance, David Astbury and Dylan Grimes, who would all become premiership players for the club.
Cousins’ gratitude was evident when describing his love for the Tigers and how he followed their recent premiership run with great joy.
“It was a really tough lead-up to getting picked up,” Cousins said.
“There were no guarantees that it was ever going to happen. I was the last pick in the last draft and I was super keen to get an opportunity to play.
“It came about at the death knock and I was just rapt to be playing footy.
“I don’t like Richmond, I love Richmond.
“I will forever stay connected to the group and the footy club because they played such an important part in my life which far exceeds football.
“But even from just a pure football sense, one of the great things to come out of not finishing up at West Coast was the opportunity to come here (to Melbourne) and play football.
“It wasn’t until I got in the fabric and lived here (in Melbourne) that I learnt to love the place. Richmond was a big part of that.
“We had some tough times on-field, but even after I finished up from afar to just sit back as a supporter and fan of the footy club to be on the ride with the Tigers. There were guys that went on to play in premierships and steer the club through a dynasty.
“To watch that from afar has been one of the great joys of my footy life.”
After 32 games across two years with Richmond, Cousins retired from the AFL in 2010 as a 270-game player and one of the most decorated midfielders of his era.
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2024/04/17/ben-cousins-on-his-eagles-exit-harley-reid-and-why-he-still-loves-richmond/