Richmond’s 11th-hour decision to pick up Ben Cousins in the pre-season draft will either leave the Tigers with egg all over their faces or give a number of other clubs a well-deserved kick up the Khyber.
St Kilda, Collingwood, Brisbane and North Melbourne that we know of, and probably a few more we don’t, will be left lamenting if Cousins defies all the naysayers and leads a Tigers charge into and during the finals, saving Terry Wallace’s neck in the process.
Most of them would have thought that, when the AFL Commission (rightly, I think) refused Richmond permission to put Graham Polak on the rookies list, Cousins would be, conveniently for them, left on the outer, given Richmond’s statements that they would be taking a youngster in the draft on Tuesday.
But the Tigers had a re-think on Monday night, caused largely by pressure from their fans, and threw Cousins the only lifeline he had left.
Perhaps the powers-that-be at Punt Road had heard about last weekend’s coup at the Parramatta rugby league club in Sydney, where the rank-and-file endorsed a group spearheaded by dual league and union international Ray Price in a bid to arrest a premiership drought dating back to 1986.
Richmond fans have been waiting even longer than their Eels counterparts – the champagne hasn’t flowed since the Tigers’ epic 81-point win over Collingwood in 1980.
So, given Wallace’s admission on Tuesday that Brisbane had pinched the Tigers’ last pick in the national draft from under their noses, and that there “wasn’t a standout” among the best of the draft leftovers who’d then been invited to train at Punt Road for a couple of weeks, it made a lot of sense to choose a ready-made senior player.
Cousins, suspended for bringing the game into disrepute through various unseemly actions, has served his time for the crime. He wants to play football again. He’s bloody good at it. Give him a go. The future is in his own hands, or more accurately mind, now.
Nobody at Richmond is under any illusions about the risk involved in selecting a confessed drug addict who has said himself that there are no guarantees he won’t go off the rails again – football manager
Craig Cameron admitted there was “still work to do” on Cousins’ rehabilitation.
Wallace said he believed the game, the players and the fans all deserved to see Cousins get another chance.
“Today’s decision to recruit Ben was based on all three of those things,” he said.
“This announcement won’t just excite Richmond fans. I believe the majority of supporters want to see Ben get another shot.”
Which certainly seemed to be the case among the fans, including most non-Tigers supporters, who expressed their views on talkback radio in the wake of the draft outcome, and more than 77 per cent of Fox Sports News viewers.
On the other side of the coin, a Sky News poll started off at 94 per cent against Richmond’s decision, although a few hours later it had softened to 50-50. Some people apparently have the perception that Cousins still has to deal with an attitude problem.
Time will tell.
If Cousins, who despite his confession has never tested positive for banned drugs, can survive three urine tests a week and four of the much more wide-ranging hair sample tests in a year, we’ll more than likely see Richmond playing in September.
If not, there’ll be plenty of people jumping on the “I-told-you-so” bandwagon.
I won’t be one of them. I’ll just be hoping Cousins can still conquer his demons in the future, even if he has to do it away from football. I’m more concerned about those anonymous players who have tested positive but are going unpunished.
We should also spare a thought for 18-year-old Kade Klemke, who missed out on selection in the national draft despite captaining the Murray Bushrangers to a premiership.
Klemke, who took that blow on the chin, was then touted as Richmond’s likely pick in the pre-season draft ahead of Cousins, despite being one of the players Wallace labelled on Tuesday as not being a standout while training with the Tigers.
It seems from Wallace’s comments that those touting Klemke were off the mark.
In fact, after taking Cousins, Richmond then selected four players, including Klemke’s Bushrangers teammate Andrew Browne, in the rookie draft that followed on Tuesday before Essendon finally took him as pick No.50.
Who knows, the Bombers might have found the best unheralded rookie since Dean Cox.
But on the other hand …
Redb
Roar Guru
good point Forgetmenot, this allows for expansion, but Ninthmond has such a better ring to it. :-) Redb
Forgetmenot
Guest
RedB, Perhaps they should put in the constitution, 1 place outside the finals. The two new teams may see the introduction of a final 9 or 10.
sheek
Guest
ahhhh, You're such an unforgiving lot. Gee, between 18 & 50, I hate to think the number of times I got drunk & sick. And still at 50! But the only person I ever hurt was myself. Ben Cousins didn't kill anyone, or was partly responsible for the death of another (like another AFL legend). The person Cousins hurt the most was himself. In case you missed it the first time around - it's not how many times you fall down that counts, it's how many times you keep bouncing back up (I'm proof!!!). The other thing is, Cousins is genuinely contrite. We often learn our best lessons from our mistakes.
Redb
Roar Guru
Forgetmenot, Richmond 5th or 6th?, nooooo it can only be ninth, it should be written into the AFL's constitution. All other clubs collude to ensure it is so. :-) Redb
Forgetmenot
Guest
Richmond coming top 4, i dont think so. They may come 5th or 6th. But Cousins is only one player.
Dave
Guest
Redb Didn't realise we had saturation AFL coverage in Melb...must stop using the internet for my news sources ;)
Michael DiFabrizio
Expert
Kazama, He certainly has the ability to make an impact. There are parallels to, just as an example, Stuart Dew. But as you brought up before, there are also the parallels to Wayne Carey. The jury is still out as to whether he will actually live up to the hype. At the end of the day, he couldn't have found a better home than Richmond. They're on the verge of September, so they stand to benefit from a 30-year-old with premiership experience (as opposed to a young side rebuilding or, you could argue, a side like St Kilda, who've been up there for a while.) Plus, he happens to slot nicely into the midfield in between Deledio and Cotchin.
Bruce Walkley
Guest
You're right, too, Michael DiF - the young boys are ready to go on with it, with or without Cousins. If he goes the distance it'll be a significant bonus (maybe two extra ladder spots), though. If he doesn't, the fallout could be anything from just a nuisance to a total disaster, depending on the timing.
Kazama
Roar Guru
Dave - A few mates have said to me I shouldn't blame Ben and it's all the AFL's fault. Maybe they've been reading those articles. Michael DiFabrizio - If you are saying that Ben Cousins isn't going to do much for Richmond, then I agree with you. He's not the messiah, he's just a very naughty boy! (sorry, couldn't resist) Redb: "I’m not so sure if it was Essendon I would want him at my club though." Exactly. All of these Richmond fans have become caught up in the hype. Maybe if their club hadn't made so many awful mistakes in the previous years it wouldn't have come to looking to a 30yr old drug addict to be their saviour. And you're right about the media coverage. From now until the end of his career every news bulletin will have an update on Ben Cousins. sheek - Appreciate your point of view mate but I disagree. I don't think he's done enough. If you compare to Mark Bosnich, Ben hasn't been through nearly enough for his sins as Mark has. And, Mark's career is over, or at least he'll never get back to where he was when he went off the rails. Ben on the other hand is straight back to playing footy at the top level, loved by the fans again, as if nothing ever happened. For me Ben betrayed the spirit of Aussie Rules as well as his team and it'll take a more than what I've seen and heard so far to convince me he's a changed man. I've had my say and I'll shut up now.
Michael DiFabrizio
Expert
I disagree that Cousins is the difference between Richmond making the eight or not. The club made significant strides this year to finish, as so many Tiger sides before them have, ninth. That's two spots and six points ahead of a club with a similar hype around youth, Carlton. 2009 was always looking like the year they would make the jump, with or without Cuz. The only credence I could give to the season relying on Cousins is if he has a much-publicized demise mid-season that really disrupts the season and affects the playing group.
Redb
Roar Guru
Sheek, Yep. That first round match Richmond v Carlton, Cousins v Judd, two ex-Eagles Captains facing off against each other, all builds the drama. I said 85,000, I think it could actually fill the joint as this is salivating for fans and neutrals alike. Curiously, Judd left West Coast largely due to the turmoil surrounding the Eagles becuase of Cousins. He came to Carlton to escape Cousins, now in the first match of season 2009 he runs straight up against him at the MCG. The worse part is now we'll have to put up with Richmond fans carrying on just as much as their Carlton brethren. :-) Redb
Redb
Roar Guru
Kazama, I'm happy for richmond to draft him and think it will add some drama to the start of next season. I'm not so sure if it was Essendon I would want him at my club though. Dave, Oh well, you'll just have to put up with the saturation media coverage Cousins and the AFL will get on this whole comeback issue. It will take up metres of newspaper print over the coming days, weeks and months. haha :-) Redb
Bruce Walkley
Guest
You've got it dead right, Sheek. To summarise my drivel above, if it works the Tigers will play finals, the club will be applauded all round and Wallace will coach on, perhaps to glory; if it doesn't work, Cousins will be history, the Tigers will finish anywhere from 10th to 16th (depending on the timing) and Plough's brow will be extremely furrowed as he exits stage left. It's a heavy burden, and good luck to Cousins if he can carry it.
sheek
Guest
Kazama, I think Cousins has done the time. I too thought at one stage more needed to be done to wipe that smirk off his face. Look at him now & I think you see a guy genuinely grateful for another opportunity, & deeply humbled by the mire he put himself into. There is now the opportunity for something wonderful to happen next year in AFL. If Cousins can help lift the Tigers into the top 8, even top 4, that would be a wonderful story all sports fans, not just AFL, can appreciate. We all make mistakes in our lives. As the saying goes, it's not how many times we fall down that counts, it's how many times we get back up again. The ball is at Cousins' feet, so to speak.
Dave
Guest
Kaz Very simple...the media. Many ex footballers/football commentators in the media have recently written sympathetic articles re Cousin and how he has been let down?? by the AFL etc. It has resulted in a massive turn around in many AFL supporters thinking on him...all is forgiven. The number of backflips on this subject (as well as hypocrisy) would do well in the Circus Solie Big Top.
Millster
Guest
Good luck to the Tigers. They will need it. I say this having spent quite some time in the bars and clubs of Perth over the last decade or two, where the mischief of Eagles past and present are regularly on show for all to see...
Kazama
Roar Guru
The thing is, I don't think it has been a hard enough road for him. Nothing he's said or done so far has convinced me that he's a changed man, or that he deserves yet another chance. I think the massive turnaround in public opinion of Ben suggests that a lot of Aussie sports fans value winning above all else. Is there something a bit wrong with that? Listening to SEN before the draft yesterday, I was astounded by some of the calls I heard. There were Richmond supporters threatening to tear up their memberships if Ben wasn't drafted, and fans from other clubs like St Kilda and West Coast who claimed they'd jump ship if the Tigers drafted Ben. Where is the loyalty? And how did this guy go from being a villain to being everyone's new hero in the space of two weeks?
Redb
Roar Guru
We also have a dream first round for 2009. Judd v Cousins in front of what surely will be 85,000 fans at the MCG surrounded by huge interest from all AFL fans. Redb
Redb
Roar Guru
Kazama, It's been an interesting public empathy path for Cousins. I think his hair cutting antics and general perception of evasiveness left most of us thinking dont give this bloke another go. He was completely ignored in the main draft by all clubs, this sent him a message that if you think it's going to be easy to play again it's not, you'll have to work harder. Then both St Kilda and Brisbane toyed with the idea of drafting him only to drop him suddenly, it sent another message to Cousins, you just carry too much baggage. Along the way, the public has started to feel for empathy for his plight to the point where the Richmond Polak rookie listing opportunity became something most of us thought if possible its not a bad idea. Then that deal was snuffed out leaving the PS Draft as his only hope. With his hopes almost completely dashed, the Sheedy lifeline emerged and Tigers fans went ballistic with agreement. I think this was key, he was no longer on the nose with fans and Tigers fans told their club take him. It was big news everywhere in AFL land when he was finally drafted and i think the majority of the public has given him another chance. 3,000 Tigers fans attended pre season training this morning for one reason to see Cousins running around in Richmond colours. What an amazing transformation in public opinion in a matter of weeks, hopefully it was a road hard enough for Cousins to realise he must grab his chance, honour the club and not let it go. Redb
Kazama
Roar Guru
I have problems with the selection of Ben Cousins. Firstly, I don't like the message it sends to the young footballers out there. Basically it tells them that if you are a good player, then no matter how badly you stuff up off the field you'll always get a gig. Go out, get stoned, hang out with the mafia, betray a team and a coach that gave you too many chances, but you still get to keep playing. I think that's pretty wrong. I do feel some sympathy for Ben - he's only human after all, and I've made some terrible mistakes myself - but I just think he shouldn't be allowed straight back into the fold like he has been just because he's a good player. Talent shouldn't always override everything else. Secondly this reeks of desperation. I can't help but feel Richmond have caved in to the demands of fans (much like Collingwood over the Didak / Shaw saga) and sold their souls for membership money and a chance at glory. And, regarding the second point, exactly how much can Ben Cousins do to turn Richmond from also-rans to premiership contenders? A message to all the Richmond fans / bandwagoners, from a Crows fan who was over the moon when we signed Wayne Carey - the danger lurks for those who get swept away.