10,000,000 Cousins threads [Merged]

[Dusty]

Not a bad game. At least he kicked the ball in the second half because he was handball happy again in the first.
Don't know why he won't kick when it's the obvious option.

I think you should watch some WC games. Ben was always able to dish off to Judd with handballs. He was brilliant at being able to duck and weave and hold off hand balling until a team mate was in the right position. Judd won a brownlow because of Ben and Kerr. Ben won a brownlow because of Judd and Kerr. If Ben was playing for Geelong you wouldn’t be talking about his handballs.

 

[Leysy Days]

How good are the Cuzmo's handballs. Pure class the likes we havent seen for many years. So enjoyable to watch that quality.

Kick started us in the 3rd when historically no-one stands up. Between him & Lids for BOG for leysy.

Reckon the club has made its mind up to retire him at the mid season break. Might be a few list management meetings to re-consider now.

Easily in our best half dozen players as it stands. Easily.

 

[Scoop]

How good are the Cuzmo's handballs. Pure class the likes we havent seen for many years. So enjoyable to watch that quality.

Kick started us in the 3rd when historically no-one stands up. Between him & Lids for BOG for leysy.

Reckon the club has made its mind up to retire him at the mid season break. Might be a few list management meetings to re-consider now.

Easily in our best half dozen players as it stands. Easily.

What about the right hand handball over the shoulder back against the flow of traffic to, I think Hicks who gave it to Newman to kick the goal in the third?

Cuz is the master of the one two that releases the next player into space. Gets the handball, holds on to it for a split second longer to give the running player a extra metre or two break. Had two or three of them yesterday with Newman.

He is making a very strong case. Is coming home strong like he did last year.

 

[HeadandShin]

Just keeps making it harder for the club to flick him. Doing everything right. Watch the relationship between Martin and Cousins, Martin has a coach on the ground. A couple of times when Cousins was on the bench and Martin came off, he would do the walk up the boundary with him talking. Dimma is on the bench so I can only assume he allows and thinks it is a good thing.

Nice photo in the Age today of him ruffling Dusty's hair at the end of the game - definitely a good relationship there.

 

[glantone]

Only a few weeks to go until the season’s over for the Tiges. Air the doco then. No need to sweat.

I’d like to see Cousins keep playing for the Tiges for years. Just so creative on the field - sweet to watch.

 

[btoz_01]

Ben,

If you want another contract then its simple, just make sure your docco does not go to air until after you retire so in this case end of next season.

If the club does not want such a distraction if your docco goes to air while your still playing at our club.

So prioritise, the tigers for another year or the docco this year??

Not sure he is going to read this.

Wouldnt be surprised if he does read what we write about him

 

[Harry]

On abc coverage today they said the most compelling stat was his 19 handball receives eqating to a fair bit of gut running

This is the key stat why Cuz should be kept on. Watch him closely and you'll notice he always runs hard to help out a teamate to provide an option. If he's not used he'll sweep back and provide another option. constantly moving. Our players need to learn the art of running past a teamate to receive a handball with momentum. too many of our guys are stationary upfield or lateral to the play waving their arms. if they are not used they'll just stand there. they need to learn to constantly move to provide options. If they don't get used it drags an opposition out of the play which opens things up.

 

[Tigers of Old]

Do you honestly believe someone like Hardwick would agree your comments?

I think that there's a fair chance of it considering he criticised Cousins just a couple of weeks ago for the same thing.
Cousins is looking to involve others in the play and when it comes off it looks great but it seems he is looking for the handball as the preferred option when it's not always the best option.
Several plays broke down yesterday in the first half because the team was overusing handball in the conditions. Many of them where Cousins was involved in.

To say Ben was Just OK, bad options, poor first half etc is an insult to Ben and his fans and the RFC.

I'm sure they'll get over it as should you.
It's just my opinion and it differs to yours.
As I said he was much better in the 2nd half.

 

[Tigers of Old]

I think you should watch some WC games. Ben was always able to dish off to Judd with handballs. He was brilliant at being able to duck and weave and hold off hand balling until a team mate was in the right position. Judd won a brownlow because of Ben and Kerr. Ben won a brownlow because of Judd and Kerr. If Ben was playing for Geelong you wouldn’t be talking about his handballs.

I have seen plenty of Cousins at WC and he's a different beast these days.
No doubt he's always had an ability to handball into space and engage others into the play. He didn't become the best player in the land by coincidence.
He still does as you describe very well on occasions.

The difference between Cuz now & then it his kicking is not as reliable and he doesn't run with the football himself near as often hence he's relying on what he knows works. Trying to bring others into the game isn't always the best option when he needs to pull the trigger and make the play himself.

I will say though that since the half way point of the year his form has been vastly improved.
He's certainly doing everything in his power to win another contract. That's pleasing to see even if it doesn't come off.

 

[Col.E.Kurtz]

Super smart today, can someone tell me how many scoring chains he was involved in?

Would have thought it would have been 7-10. Some great handballs today.

Just keeps making it harder for the club to flick him. Doing everything right. Watch the relationship between Martin and Cousins, Martin has a coach on the ground. A couple of times when Cousins was on the bench and Martin came off, he would do the walk up the boundary with him talking. Dimma is on the bench so I can only assume he allows and thinks it is a good thing.

Cuz had 4 score involvements, as did DJ, equal 3rd on the team

King(!) and Newman had 5 each

http://www.prowess.com.au/pro-stats/reports/match_report_142.pdf

 

[Lidsand]

cuz's playing form and leadership is that good right now that the only reason cuz wont get a contract next year is because the club doesn't want the distraction

 

[RedanTiger]

Interesting to me is that IMO Cousins has improved our tackling an enormous amount.

Cousins, like the very best midfielders, when they tackle their main purpose is to get a loose ball. Their second effort or recovery when they cause a spillage is the difference between the best and the rest.

It was very clear that when Wallace and Co coached us our primary purpose in a tackle was to stop the opposition, not gain possession.

With Cousins in the team, all the other midfielders have learnt that laying the tackle is the FIRST part of the exercise. Recovery to gain possession after causing a spillage has now become a big part of our play. It is the reason why our clearance and contested stats have gone up this year to such a degree.

It's the little things like this and the blocking for teammates which are the main things we gain from Cousins PLAYING in our team. You can try and coach this but having some one reinforcing it ten or fifteen times a game is the best teaching.

 

[Massai]

After another great contribution by Cuz yesterday, I will be rather peeved off if RFC do not re-sign for 2011. He's running into the form
that we expect of Cuz, he'd have to be on our list for 2011, perhaps if he has a really good 2011, 2012 is not out of the question either.

As for his doco, I couldn't give a toss to be honest, I won't even bother to watch it. Its his opinion, the media will have a field day as
per normal, it should not in anyway impact on whether he is contracted for 2011. What he does on field counts for a hell of a lot more
in my book. The issues he's had this year, a lot of it was pure media hype aka bs, his drug testing is clean, I see no reason why he
cannot go on in 2011.

When he retires from the game, he should be signed up straight away as a Development Coach for the upcoming players, keep him at
RFC for a few more years and use his experience accordingly.

 

[TigerFlag2017]

Interesting to me is that IMO Cousins has improved our tackling an enormous amount.

Cousins, like the very best midfielders, when they tackle their main purpose is to get a loose ball. Their second effort or recovery when they cause a spillage is the difference between the best and the rest.

It was very clear that when Wallace and Co coached us our primary purpose in a tackle was to stop the opposition, not gain possession.

With Cousins in the team, all the other midfielders have learnt that laying the tackle is the FIRST part of the exercise. Recovery to gain possession after causing a spillage has now become a big part of our play. It is the reason why our clearance and contested stats have gone up this year to such a degree.

It's the little things like this and the blocking for teammates which are the main things we gain from Cousins PLAYING in our team. You can try and coach this but having some one reinforcing it ten or fifteen times a game is the best teaching.

Nothing to do with the coach's teaching the team how to tackle?

You are not Cuzzies manager, are you??

 

[Col.E.Kurtz]

Nothing to do with the coach's teaching the team how to tackle?

You are not Cuzzies manager, are you??

I don't want to hate on Bambi, but if Cuzmo is changing the way we tackle he's doing it selectively. He ranks 14th on our team for tackles per game

http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/tr-richmond-tigers?year=2010&rt=TA&st=TA

 

[RedanTiger]

Nothing to do with the coach's teaching the team how to tackle?

You are not Cuzzies manager, are you??

Geez it's hard to get through sometimes. Yes it has to do with the coaches. Cousins is a Brownlow winning midfielder who sets a great example on field with his knowledge and behaviours. Do you get it yet? He is an example of winning methods. Get it yet? He is not a coach but an example. Get it yet? He gives on-field, real time teaching with immediate feed back. Get it yet?

I don't want to hate on Bambi, but if Cuzmo is changing the way we tackle he's doing it selectively. He ranks 14th on our team for tackles per game

http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/tr-richmond-tigers?year=2010&rt=TA&st=TA

So it's the quantity not the quality that counts.

 

[Disco08]

He's 12th for effective tackles.

 

[TigerFlag2017]

A very very long bow there Red.

 

[RedanTiger]

He's 12th for effective tackles.

A very very long bow there Red.

Okay, just thought it was an interesting topic for discussion about Cousins's value as a teacher of football's physical skills.

I was always told that the best way to teach a physical skill was to
a) demonstrate the skill
b) get the student to perform the skill under observation
c) make adjustments to their performance
d) get the student to repeat the skill and adjust accordingly
e) once the student is competent with the skill, increase the pressure and repeat.
In that scenario, an onfield teacher during the game has an advantage over an off-field coach. It's a big part of why senior coaches are coaching from the sidelines rather than removed in the box.

I'll now leave the discussion to your circular chatter about how many stats a player gets as the total measure of the player's worth, just like the debate about every other player on our list.

 

[Disco08]

If you'd have made the point about gut running or something Cousins is elite at you'd have had a point. As it is your "quantity not quality" retort derails anything you're trying to say.