10,000,000 Cousins threads [Merged]

[Tigers of Old]

The comparison between these two players was in regards to supporter opinion towards them, not of their off-field nature. Both of these two players attracted a lot of critisism before we got them, and after a while the first one became a bit of a favourite and the second one is clearly becoming a favourite too in general.

I don't think the first player trade attracted anywhere the turmoil surrounding the Cousins one hence I argued against your point.
Nor do I think that player became a footballing favourite with the majority of supporters as you suggested until a certain incident.

Cousins a favourite already?
Hard to argue that one so far with 2000 turning up to training & memberships up significantly.
I would call it a bit of the Big Brother syndrome myself. People are curious about Benny as much as anything else. They like to watch with the air of expectation that something in his roller coaster life to date will happen.
Or do they really see him as the messiah? Probably a bit of both in reality.

Personally I think many have unrealistic expectations given the guy hasn't even stepped out on the park yet but I sincerely do hope the honeymoon lasts.

Your first line is way off topic. What, do you think I'm saying Ben's challenge is over?! Give me a little respect.

Fair enough benny, I misinterpreted your post.

 

[Philster]

Benny sets the bar

Interesting to hear Lids talk about BC on the air today saying that he'd probably be on a restricted program for the next 4 weeks, but has definitely lifted the bar for the others with what they have seen of him so far. ........GOOD !!!!

Did anyone here get to Vic Park this morning for a look?

 

[tiger1966]

Re: Benny sets the bar

Interesting to hear Lids talk about BC on the air today saying that he'd probably be on a restricted program for the next 4 weeks, but has definitely lifted the bar for the others with what they have seen of him so far. ........GOOD !!!!

Did anyone here get to Vic Park this morning for a look?

did they have hot dogs there also!!!

 

[Ocker]

Re: Benny sets the bar

Interesting to hear Lids talk about BC on the air today saying that he'd probably be on a restricted program for the next 4 weeks, but has definitely lifted the bar for the others with what they have seen of him so far. ........GOOD !!!!

Did anyone here get to Vic Park this morning for a look?

Yep, popped in for 30 minutes or so...Cuz involved in group sprints and was no slouch either (Foley killed it, he's a gun) - pretty much just did some close in ball-work with Lids to finish (didn't participate in team ball drills).
I have noticed Kingy and Cuz have formed a bit of a comraderie.
Andy Raines a bit proppy with a foot complaint, JON missing targets - the usual stuff...

 

[Dyer Disciple]

Re: Benny sets the bar

Andy Raines a bit proppy with a foot complaint, JON missing targets - the usual stuff...

 

[scottyturnerscurse]

I saw some training today.

About 100 people there, not a bad turn out for a stinker of a morning.

Some ordinary skills but wind would have made it hard.

If all trained as hard as Foley, we'd be a better team. Total gut-buster.

JON looked OK as others were missing targets as well. The sprints looked tough. I know Patto is 26 but it didn't look like him. Anyway, he was hopeless. Feared a cardiac arrest, he was hurting that much from the sprints. Perhaps he has had surgery in the off-season.
Oh, number 26 was useless at drills involving marking from short, fast kicks. Oh, he can't kick either. Jeez, maybe it was Patto.

Good to see the players in the flesh. Polo looks bigger, Rance looks ready, Edwards is bigger but still a midget stick figure.

 

[Dyer Disciple]

Thanks Scotty.

 

[Jason King]

Re: Benny sets the bar

Yep, popped in for 30 minutes or so...Cuz involved in group sprints and was no slouch either (Foley killed it, he's a gun) - pretty much just did some close in ball-work with Lids to finish (didn't participate in team ball drills).
I have noticed Kingy and Cuz have formed a bit of a comraderie.
Andy Raines a bit proppy with a foot complaint, JON missing targets - the usual stuff...

Same here. All i can attribute that to is Kingy needing to learn to tag the best of the best

(or they could just like each other ?)

 

[tigertim]

Re: Benny sets the bar

Same here. All i can attribute that to is Kingy needing to learn to tag the best of the best

(or they could just like each other ?)

I remember seeing Jake at the Anzac game v Box Hill. He was in his civvies and running to get off the ground at the qrt time break. I remember thinking, geez, that's Ben Cousins but it was just Kingy (wearing one of those stupid "train engineer" caps everyone is wearing now).

 

[Ian4]

Interesting to hear Lids talk about BC on the air today saying that he'd probably be on a restricted program for the next 4 weeks, but has definitely lifted the bar for the others with what they have seen of him so far. ........GOOD !!!!

thats the main reason why always wanted us to take him.

 

[TIGEREXTRA]

I am loving this ride we are on so far.

Just got home tonight from a party and opposition supporters are so cut that we got him, they are so worried that he will be a great player this year and would love him in their side.....ah I love tha attention. ;D

 

[benny_furs]

thats the main reason why always wanted us to take him.

Same here.

It's quite funny looking back at some of the arguments we had on this board before we got him.

Someone would mention his impact on the training track, and another poster would say it doesn't count because he'll stuff up in other areas. Then someone would mention how all the younger players will look up to him in awe, which drew replies such as "BS, he'll be a negative influence".

Even if Benny goes into a drug-induced rampage, all the wonderful and fantastic things he brings to the table would still apply and I think people (from our club but especially other clubs) chose to ignore the positives too much.


Most of the football world has seriously mis-judged the gains of having Ben Cousins, by overrating the potential risks.

The risks were never really as high as people thought... even if he does relapse. And the gains were much higher than what people thought! Anyway...

 

[Rosy]

Out of interest benny what are the wonderful things benny has brought to the training track and how do things in that department differ from pre-benny days?

 

[benny_furs]

Out of interest benny what are the wonderful things benny has brought to the training track and how do things in that department differ from pre-benny days?

Recent articles suggest the younger players are "in awe" of Benny watching him train.

Foley and Deledio have both expressed gratitude towards Ben for teaching them a handful of great midfield tricks they will use.

Chris Newman has said Ben is fitting in "like a dream" and Nathan Brown said Ben has given everyone at the club newfound confidence and enthusiasm.

Terry Wallace (or Brian Royal) recently said Benny's biggest legacy to leave behind could be all the information he is passing on to the younger blokes and he is really setting the bar at training.

We knew this would happen if we drafted him, but I think a lot of people underrated how valuable all this stuyff at training is. He did lead West Coast to a flag afterall and personally worked with Judd and Kerr like he now is with Foley and Deledio.

Benny is a super people person with a wealth of elite football knowledge and work ethic on the track.

He has raised the bar at training from the pre-Benny days and the youngsters are learning things they've never had access to.

 

[Rosy]

He has raised the bar at training from the pre-Benny days and the youngsters are learning things they've never had access to.

Benny I think most of the rest of your post is based on club spin and they're not going to do anything other than pump up Ben's tyres.  Can you please elaborate on how you think Benny has raised the bar at training and what exactly are the things the youngesters are learning that they've never had access to before?

I don't have a lot of time for the annual pre-season spin and to be honest would love to see more credit for raising the bar given to players like Jacko and Whitey who are burning up the tan and showing their exceptional fitness, Cogs who has worked overtime to overcome his personal obstacles, Richo who is as old as Noah in a footy sense yet is as enthusiastic as a young pup taking part in all the sessions, and all of the other players who are doing the hard yards.

Richmond is a bit too Cousins conscious for my liking.  Good on him for all his efforts but to me he's just another player on our list yet he seems, without having hardly kicked a ball at Tigerland yet, to be placed on a very high pedestal.

 

[Tigers of Old]

Early days but 1 month in so far so good with Benny.

Gotta love pre season, so much hope. It's been Richmond's best time of the year for the past two decades sadly.
I have seen all this before too often only to be let down time & time again, the proof is in the pud at the business end and this time up it's no different.

 

[benny_furs]

At the very least you have to credit Cousins with all the enthusiasm in and around the club.

The media hype and club exposure has given us an aura that screams finals, at worst.

Today - in the middle of January - there are 3 Richmond articles in the Herald Sun Sport section. That's more articles than some teams have had in the last month! Radio talk is all Richmond when it comes to AFL. Two years ago when Brown and Johnson said "Finals or bust" there wasn't anywhere near as much genuine feeling about it.

Now, mostly because of the Cousins hype, Richmond feels like a finals club and a chance at being the bottom 8 side who shoots into top 4 calculations. If anything, this belief alone is worth it's weight in gold when it comes to training day in, day out and signing up members.

But you're right in saying players like Jackson, White and Richo deserve some credit too. But how much has Jackson inspired the team compared to Cousins? Hard to say from the outside, but I'd be surprised if he came close.

 

[Rosy]

At the very least you have to credit Cousins with all the enthusiasm in and around the club.

Disagree benny. I don't credit Cousins with "all" the enthusiasm at all. I don't have a clue what to attribute to him in that regard but if he's responsible for it all we would have been in pretty dire straights enthusiastically if we didn't draft him.

There is enthusiasm in and around the club every pre-season benny or not.

 

[benny_furs]

There is enthusiasm in and around the club every pre-season benny or not.

You can't deny there is a lot more hype this pre-season.

There are Richmond articles every second day and Collingwood articles once a week! On the radio people are actually tipping Richmond to finish top 4, as far as my memory serves me this has not happened since Wallace joined the club.

4000 members more than we've ever had at this stage of the year.

The enthusiasm and hype has been over the top and probably beyond what we deserve. There is hype every year, but this year's hype is on a completely different set of scales.

I'd describe it as fever pitch.

This time last year there was hardly a single word coming out of the club...

 

[Rosy]

You can't deny there is a lot more hype this pre-season.
......

4000 members more than we've ever had at this stage of the year.
.......

This time last year there was hardly a single word coming out of the club...

I don't seem to rate hype as highly as you do benny.  We always have hype and rarely live up to it, thus the club's decision for my 3rd point mentioned below.  Yes there seems to be more, especially regarding Cousins, but I don't think that massive attention is necessarily a good thing.

4000 more members as of what date?  The most recent figures I can fine are for the 9th of January.
19/01/08; Ticketed - 15,426 Non-Ticketed - 4,137 Total 19563
9/01/09 Match day 17,148 Non match day3,869    Total 21017
Difference 1454 (and of course 10 days)

This time last year the club made a deliberate choice not to discuss Richmond with the media to the point we didn't even get to read reports of the Commando training they did.  They've obviously changed that stance this year.

As for Cuz being responsible for "all" the enthusiasm benny, aren't you enthused by Cogs impending comeback?  By Richo coming off such an outstanding season?  By the glimpse of great things to come from Cotch?  By the maturity of Lids?  By our improved form at the end of last season? By the new leadership group?  By the injection of new players?  I certainly find plenty to be enthusiastic about and Benny isn't responsible for it all all as far as I'm concerened.