Call for 'fair go' as D-day looms for Cousins
West Australian
26th February 2009, 6:15 WST
Staunch members of Richmond’s old guard have strongly fallen in behind Tigers coach Terry Wallace’s plea for an end to invasions of privacy for prized recruit Ben Cousins.
As the recovering drug addict prepares for his first game in 18 months against Collingwood tonight at Telstra Dome, several former stars agreed the media circus around him was out of control.
The 30-year-old’s private life has been regularly exposed since his drug-fuelled expulsion from the game, but Richmond identities Kevin Sheedy, Brendon Gale and Peter Wilson yesterday said he should just be allowed to play.
Wallace said that the unfair spotlight on Cousins was unlike anything else he had seen in his 25 years at the elite level of the game.
Sheedy, who played 251 games for the Tigers before his legendary coaching career at Essendon, was as instrumental as anyone at Richmond in getting the club to select Cousins in the pre-season draft.
He called on the media and public to give the former West Coast Eagle more respect for his decision to again pursue a healthy life and believed that aspect was vastly more important than any impact his return would have on the football industry.
“I just wish him all the best,” Sheedy said. “It gives the other players a lot of confidence, but only time will tell. The only thing I feel is that he deserved another opportunity and he’s got it.
“All the talk in the world is irrelevant now that he’s got his chance, an opportunity. I don’t care about the footy side of it, I just want him to get his life back.”
Gale, a 244-game star with the Tigers and now chief executive of the AFL Players’ Association, revealed his pride in his old club’s decision to take the risky punt on Cousins.
He also claimed it was time for the critics to move on.
“We always insisted that he had the right to continue to play and once he was given that right (by the AFL), we were hopeful that he’d be drafted,” Gale said.
“That took place and I’m thrilled for Ben and his family. I couldn’t help but feel proud when the club took him even though it wasn’t without risk.
“Football is really important for Ben, that club is well-placed to be able to support him and, more importantly, I think he’s got some real value to add. He’s got the real ability to lift the standards around him with his football professionalism.
“Hopefully the effect will be a multiple one and while we all understand he is a high-profile player in a high-profile workplace, let’s hope going forward the focus is on his feats on the field. That would be tremendous for everyone.”
Wilson, who played 54 games for Richmond and then 117 for West Coast, including two premierships, said he had spoken at length with Cousins in Perth a fortnight ago and believed he was primed to return to the game.
Wilson was scathing about the constant intrusion on Cousins’ private life.
“He’s a good guy and a great footballer and he’s already been fantastic for Richmond,” Wilson said.
“I caught up with Cuzzy and he’s going really well, he’s working hard at it and he’s really happy to be in Melbourne. He looks really good, sounds better and seems to be really on top of things.
“But the constant, paparazzi-style rubbish is beyond a joke now. Ben’s got a long way to go and he’s still got a lot to offer and although he’s been through some tough times, he’s an elite player.
“It should be a feel-good story, but he’s been put through the ringer. People don’t understand the personal anguish that he and his family have gone through and that should be given more respect.
“Hopefully it will be the feel-good story, it should be if Ben can just be a solid contributor for another couple of years at AFL level.
“He doesn’t need to aim for the stars, but he can be proud of himself and his family can be proud of him for working so hard to get back.”
However last night it was reported that coaching legend Tommy Hafey had slammed Richmond's decision to draft Cousins, saying it was a mistake to give the recovering addict a second chance in the AFL.
Hafey, who coached more than 500 VFL/AFL games, reportedly told a players' function that the decision sent the wrong message to younger players.
“People ask me doesn’t he deserve a second chance? I say no, he doesn’t. He had his chance and he blew it," the self-confessed teetotaller said. "And if he plays really well, which would be great for Richmond, then that just sends the message to the younger guys that you can stuff up big time and a year later get back to your best. It just doesn’t work that way.”
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