Newy believes the side can stay focused amongst the circus...------------------------------------
Tigers will stay focused: Newman
BY Adam Cooper | Canberra Times | 18/12/2008
Richmond captain Chris Newman is confident the Tigers won't be distracted by any sideshow the Ben Cousins recruitment could become next AFL season.
Richmond's training session yesterday looked more like grand final week than pre-season training as about 2000 fans crammed Punt Road oval to watch Cousins in the yellow and black for the first time.
The circus scenes then went indoors when about 100 media representatives attended Cousins' press conference.
But Newman insisted the Tigers had the mettle not to let the signing and the associated scrutiny distract the players from their 2009 aim of playing finals.
''I don't think we can be distracted by all this hype,'' he said.
''By the way we trained today we proved that we can move on and get on with football.
''If we want to play finals football in the future then we'll have to get used [to] that sort of thing.''
Despite the risks that come with getting Cousins, 30, and his battle against drug addiction, Newman and vice-captain Nathan Foley agreed the former West Coast star had plenty to offer a young playing group.
''It's a great experience to add Ben into the midfield, with his team success and the individual success he's had over the years,'' Foley said.
''Our young midfield group will learn so much from him.''
Having endured 12 months of intense scrutiny, Cousins appeared comfortable with yesterday's attention.
But he said that had not been the case for the people close to him, who had lived out his off-field dramas very publicly.
''I feel more sorry for friends and family who don't deserve to have to deal with my issue on a public level,'' he said.
''Dealing with addiction for families or friends is very hard privately, but to deal with it publicly has been very stressful for my family and friends at times.
''I'm lucky that I do have a fantastic network of people around me, that's gone a long way towards me being here today.''
Cousins hoped the distraction factor would decrease once he became settled at Richmond.
He was eager to slip the spotlight he found himself in so prominently in Perth and settle in a bigger city with 10 clubs opposed to two.
''I [am] really looking forward to making the move [to Melbourne],'' he said. ''West Coast have been a fantastic footy club, Perth has been great to me.
''I've been shot out of the sky they say those who fly the lowest fly the longest so I understand I've probably run my race there.
''I'm just looking forward to moving over here and starting with a new footy club and a new bunch of guys and starting afresh.''
Meanwhile, AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou says Richmond should be commended for drafting Cousins.
''It's a very courageous decision by the Richmond Football Club,'' Demetriou said yesterday.
''We hope he finishes his career playing football, staying clean and sets an example for what can be achieved if you turn your mind to being positive, staying clean and doing what you love, which in this case happens to be football.''
He brushed off reports Cousins had been associated with underworld figures.
''I think if you go by this particular headline everyone will start working out who their friends are, who they had lunch with, it's now time for all of us to turn our minds to the positives about this,'' he said.
''Which is, this is a person who is endeavouring to recover from a serious illness. He wants to get back into the workforce, and we want that for any person who wants to get back into the workforce as quickly as possible.''
Demetriou said the media coverage around Cousins' return to the sport had been ''extraordinary'', but thought it would die down once training and the season started.
Demetriou said he had no plans to speak with Cousins before Christmas.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/sport/afl/tigers-will-stay-focused-newman/1389380.aspx?storypage=0
