Cousins kicks into contention
Brent Diamond | May 3, 2009
RICHMOND midfielder Ben Cousins got through yesterday's VFL match unscathed, despite limping to the clubrooms at the 23rd-minute mark of the final term with both knees heavily iced — a precautionary measure, said Tiger officials.
And opponent Jack Watts shone for Casey, later announcing he expected to make his AFL debut in round 12 against Essendon.
Cousins, who has not played since sustaining a hamstring injury in his return game in round one, had 25 disposals for Coburg, working at full pace in 10-minute bursts in the Tigers' 42-point loss to the Scorpions at Coburg City Oval.
Cousins made an impact in the second quarter after marking on the wing, with no direct opponent, and booting to ruckman Troy Simmonds before using his strong endurance to grab a handball and provide some forward momentum.
Tigers coach Jade Rawlings said Cousins' performance warranted a return to AFL level and said it would be discussed during the week. "He was good … he did as much as he could do on a VFL stage," Rawlings said.
"We capped the amount of time that he was supposed to play so that he came out unscathed."
While the match was built up as the Cousins show, it was Melbourne's No. 1 draft pick Watts who shone brighter on the big stage in his first VFL match.
The 18-year-old booted three goals, including two in the second term, and accumulated 16 disposals in a roaming half-forward role. He also kicked the match-winner in the final term.
"It was good to get out and play at a high standard," Watts told The Sunday Age. "There's a big difference between speed and the physicality. It's always more enjoyable to play at a higher standard, it's cleaner footy.
"I was just happy to get a win over a pretty good side. They didn't put any pressure on me before the game, which was really good, and I just went out there to get a kick."
But any chance of a much more rapid AFL debut was put to bed by Watts, who said he was all but pencilled in for a round-12 debut against Essendon.
"I don't think so (making a quicker debut)," he said.
"I've got the program. I want to follow that to a T and hopefully that will lead me in good stead."
Scorpions coach Peter German praised the talented forward's performance.
"Anyone who watched the game today would say that's why he was the No. 1 draft pick," German said.
In a star-studded match that attracted almost 6000 fans — just 5000 less than last year's VFL grand final — Coburg general manager Ryan O'Connor said it was a financial boost having Cousins play for the club.
"If we had attendances like we had today every week, our profits would be double the norm," O'Connor said.
The starting bounce looked like Richmond's regular line-up with Simmonds, Cousins and rising star Trent Cotchin in the middle. Simmonds dominated the ruck with 27 hit-outs, but Cotchin, playing his second VFL match, struggled, according to Rawlings.
"I thought in the second half he started to get his hands on the ball a bit more and used it OK. He had a bit of an illness last night so he struggled a bit," Rawlings said.
In the same match, Melbourne's Michael Newton booted five goals.
Shane Edwards was best on ground for the Tigers, while Kayne Pettifer, on return from a knee reconstruction, also showed glimpses.
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