cuz on the couch

[B1 and B2]

I, for one, was very impressed with Ben. This (drug addiction) is a very serious social problem and it looks like he may get through it. I would look at keeping him around as he certainly would do better than the other "super" assistant coaches we have had (eg B. Royal).

Why does this guy cop so much??? He showed he at least has a brain, unlike Fev.

Good post, I’m with you.
He spoke fantastically and didn’t duck any hard questions when he easily could have.
I love that he feels forever indebted to Richmond and wants to stay on as a player or non-player and help the club rise again.

B1

 

[rockstar_tiger]

A talent for being an idiotic twat and being suspended from playing is a great talent to have.

If he was stupid enough to do that... then it must have taken a lot of brains to get to where he is now, right?

 

[chislop]

Why does this guy cop so much??? He showed he at least has a brain, unlike Fev.
[/quote]

"When you do something good, no one remembers. When you do something bad, no one forgets." (Hells Angels quote in Hunter S Thompson's book of the same name)

 

[TIGEREXTRA]

Great interview.

Cuz earnt alot of respect from his honesty imo.

 

[Tigerbob]

Why does this guy cop so much??? He showed he at least has a brain, unlike Fev.

People have agenda's against him, people want him to fail to create headlines, and some people want to be proved right in their stance for the club not to take him.

Me, I am proud of my club taking him, and I am proud of the way Ben has conducted himself through it all.

His interview yesterday was indicative of the person he is and I am glad he has got newfound respect from the general community. I hope he shows the form he did at the end of last season and goes on with it for us. We will be better off.

 

[In the Blood]

Excellent interview and well done Ben for doing the interview and being so honest.

I am still worried for Ben and his situation moving forward. I found some quotes revealing and concerning.

In reference to the shaving of his head in 2008, he was asked if he was worried about a positive test. His response was " not with the hair I had". This indicates that he was not certain that he had been clean for long enough (at all?) to pass the test so shaved his head. He said he didn't trust the powers that be to handle the possible result of the test in a rational way. So clearly, it is likely he was still dabbling or fearful of residue in his system late in 2008. This is not to say that he has touched the stuff since then because obviously his testing regime came in soon after that and to his credit he has shown the will power and strength of character it takes for an addict to keep clean.

Other quotes include drinking alcohol can "lead to my idea of a holiday". Many addicts refer to their drug use as escaping reality and if Ben considers that in the absence of illicit drugs to facilitate this need, he sometimes uses alcohol, then I am concerned that alcohol is a way of filling the void. When he stops playing and the tests stop, he is going to need to be very careful.

Having said that, I am very happy that he is at Richmond and I hope that he can have a possitive impact on the field. If form warrants, I am not against a contract extension into next year. After retirement, he could continue on at Richmond in an Assistant Coaching capacity and would be very good. I also think that for his health moving forward, staying at the football club would be good for Ben. He needs to work through this addiction until there is no more void to fill.

 

[Baloo]

Handled that well. Though in saying that Addicts are the best liars I know.

Regardless of the past, I hope he plays well for us. Whether we keep in in an on field or off field role in 2011 is a decision I am happy to leave to the club to decide on. They, more than anyone else, will know whether Cuz being around well help us achieve our goals.

 

[mb64]

Great interview.

Cuz earnt alot of respect from his honesty imo.

Agree

 

[Phar Ace]

Why does this guy cop so much??? He showed he at least has a brain, unlike Fev.


"When you do something good, no one remembers. When you do something bad, no one forgets." (Hells Angels quote in Hunter S Thompson's book of the same name)

You gotta make a lot of positive deposits before you can make a huge negative withdrawal and remain reasonably respected - just the way the world works. Cuz exhausted his early deposits with repeated withdrawals. Even now it seems hard for the positive to exceed the negative, but I don't doubt he's trying, and more power to him while he keeps trying.

 

[Jason King]

The positive reaction from this interview thanks to Ben appearing to be honest (i think he was truthful) is great for our club. The media mongrels have already put a negative slant on the interview which just goes to show how useless the media can be.

 

[Rosy]

Ben chooses to be in the spotlight as well. His actions, ie the finger, radio roles, newspaper columns, movies, late night escapades and even agreeing to this interview don't exactly show someone trying to avoid the spotlight. His arrival at the club has certainly given our media people some extra work. The best way to answer his critics is for Ben to play good football for us.

 

[Lidsand]

Ben chooses to be in the spotlight as well. His actions, ie the finger, radio roles, newspaper columns, movies, late night escapades and even agreeing to this interview don't exactly show someone trying to avoid the spotlight. His arrival at the club has certainly given our media people some extra work. The best way to answer his critics is for Ben to play good football for us.

i dont agree. i know you know what it feels like to have mud slung at you. he gets in every day from lots of places. if his radio role and this interview allows him to clear the air and set the record straight then good on him from doing it

he is hardly choosing to be in the spotlight as you say or seeking attention any more then any other afl player who has a media commitment or contract

 

[powerful and brave 12]

puffy eyes where shocking who would have known that mike sheahan was a p!ss head

quote from sir

- appeared honest and open
- puffy eyes were a fraction disconcerting (e.g. looked like eyes after a hard night on the turps)
- he did NOT say he was "on the gear" when he shaved his head
- he denied it was to stick it up the authorities
- he felt that the AFL was out to get him at that time, and that he didn't trust the system/those responsible at the time
- openly admitted that that could be/was seen in bad light in hindsight
- seems openly surprised that everyone is talking about his demise
- felt he came good through last year
- expects to do same this year
- expects that that will hold him in good stead for a contract extension
- made a strong point about his on-field leadership role
- almost as if he plays a coaching/mentoring role on the field
- was very genuinely grateful to the Tigers
- wants to stay in Melbourne
- wants sports journalists to play the ball not the man
- wants them to do their research
- was on holidays with girlfriend (and two kids!!) and parents when drug rumours rose this year
- was genuinely sick in stomach (was a little evasive on that one)
- seemed to admit that he should have hit Conners an hour earlier (in jest?)
- said that Conners will be an excellent player/person (implied the event was a turning point)
- throughout interview emphasised that team was very very young
- questions were fair
- not too much about Richmond - was mostly about Cuz
- thanked the club - in particular Cameron/Gale and the PR person (having to put up with the distractions)
- spoke often about addictions and his 'ongoing' battle
- admits he likes an ale - that it can bring out a dark side - but 'no' he doesn't have a "problem"
- was asked about drugs in AFL
- said it was far less a problem than in general community
- did not believe rec drugs enhanced performance
- said it did not tarnish the Weagles GF
- in no way was he envious/remorseful that he lost Weagles captaincy
- he regretted the double life he lived behind Worsfield

....... that's about all I can remember

[/quote]

 

[rockstar_tiger]

Ben chooses to be in the spotlight as well. His actions, ie the finger, radio roles, newspaper columns, movies, late night escapades and even agreeing to this interview don't exactly show someone trying to avoid the spotlight. His arrival at the club has certainly given our media people some extra work. The best way to answer his critics is for Ben to play good football for us.

The media roles, to me, might to be more about money than attention-seeking.

The finger might have been stupid, but it was also meant to be in private. The late night escapade was after a night game, and in his interview he said that night would be a turning point for Connors as a person... if so, he didn't do anything wrong apart from having the name Ben Cousins.
This interview has generated a lot of positivity towards him and has cleared up a lot of talk that has esculated in the media recently. Good move.

Agree about letting his football do the talking.

 

[Rantnrave]

As for your support of Wayne Campbell – it is a fact that ever since he took over as mid-field coach our mid-field has been beaten comprehensively in most if not all games.

Campbell either has to change as a mid-field coach or leave for our mid-field to start getting on top of the opposition – something we have not done since he has had the job and something we did rarely when he was a player in our mid-field.

Cousins has a Brownlow, premiership medallion and is a true champion of our game – measured in the top 50 players of all time – Campbell is not within a “Bull's Roar” of that........

ONE THING I AGREE WITH..campbell has been hopeless as our mid feild coach....cuz could be very very valuable in that role

 

[Ark]

Here is the link to the interview should anyone like to watch

http://www.foxsports.com.au/shows/onthecouch

 

[Bill James]

I was wondering why my wife has been so interested in Richmond over the past 2 years...
She attended more games than ever before and last night was the 1st time ever she was interested in "On the Couch".

Should I be worried B1?

Said B2

She is probably looking for an outlet given you spend so much time with B1.

 

[Scribblar]

Retire/delist.

Why, whose spot is he actually taking up?

Remember, when you throw the bath water out with the baby....don't forget the bath!!

:

 

[tigertim]

I was wondering why my wife has been so interested in Richmond over the past 2 years...
She attended more games than ever before and last night was the 1st time ever she was interested in "On the Couch".

Should I be worried B1?

Said B2

and all this time I thought B1 and B2 were a husband and wife team!!

 

[Tigers of Old]

I was trying to work out why Cousins would go on a show such as this at a time when his club is struggling. He's not the skipper, nor is he our best player and his team's coming last so why?
The drugs issue has been well documented and until now he's ignored most of the rumour and speculation on that front so what was it that caused him primarily to appear OTC now just 7 games in to the season?

There was a lot covered but it seems to me, that the bottom line was that it was Ben using his mates show(Healy) to publicly push his cause for staying on the list next year.

After a struggling start in terms of fitness and form and at a club with a clear shift towards a youth based policy, IMO Ben can see the writing on the wall.

The curtain's closing on his career and obviously wants to play on for a whole host of reasons but the obvious ones are financial as well as looking to restore his standing in the game so as he has a career in football after his playing days are over.

Fair enough too but not many footballers at the exit gates get the opportunity to spruce their value in a format such as that.
Ultimately those decisions are out of his control no matter what is said but it doesn't hurt to drum up public support.

Healy, a renowned confidant of Ben's, was happy to accommodate such an interview knowing not only would it help Cousins cause but also Benny is a ratings bonanza. You scratch my back I scratch yours.

Although he copped some relatively probing questions from Sheehan, there was no appearance on the panel of some of Cousins more recently critical media types such as Wilson, Walls & Crawford all of whom have recently questioned the value of his position on the list at a rebuilding Richmond given his noticeable recent decline.

Now I could be wrong but I the main reason I think this was the thrust of Ben's appearance is because he mentioned the worth of having an older head around the club not just once but a few times.
He mentioned his time at the Weagles when as a youngster he had the likes of former Eagles champs Kemp, Jackovich etc watching his back.
However the biggest difference here is that Ben's own form is right now questionable. He is not standing out ala Judd at Carlton, nor making an impact such as Pavlich at the Dockers. These players and those ben mentioned were/are in their prime, whereas Ben is in the twilight of his once glittering career. A marked difference IMO.
No from what I can gather from watching this season Ben has lost pace and his disposal has been ordinary.
At 32 it's hard to see him recapturing it and he's finding himself in Bowden, Brown territory who were tapped on the shoulder last year.

Whether he answered all the rest of the questions truthfully is hard to tell as it obviously hasn't always been his strong suit but even if he did I see most of the interview as largely irrelevant and just as tabloid as much of the rumour and innuendo that plagues him.

As rosy said Ben's best bet is to let his football do the talking and right now I don't see it as enough to keep him on the list in 2011.