The surnames of “Judd” and “Cousins” ring loudly in the ears of West Coast Eagles supporters as two of their greats. But the question remains: “Who exactly takes the cake?”
It is the story of two men, two careers, with both differing stories.
One will end up hailed a hero, a drug addict and champion on the field, while the other will be one of the cleanest off the field and a superstar of the game.
For many it is difficult to split Ben Cousins and Chris Judd for their abilities with the football are first class and as both are unbelievable athletes. Each delivers on the field week in week out against their opponents leaving no stone unturned in their path to glory.
In judging who is better and possibly the greatest West Coast player to ever grace the field, it is important to close off outside behaviour away from the field. Leaving this in the equation would see a total bias towards Chris Judd.
On the park is where the born and bred talent shines, and the man becomes a warrior fighting for his army for the prize of victory. Many have lived to see the greatness of Cousins and Judd, yet many cannot draw a line between the sand.
On pen and paper, it is Cousins who is No.1 and the story why is simple: he is the better player.
Ben Cousins’ career ended on possibly one of the highest notes and for a man of his calibre, even though he went on the field without feet against Port Adelaide, he still seemed to create an influence and nearly see the Tigers get over the line.
So what splits Cousins over Judd? In his glittering 269 AFL game career, Cousins has been the man who has not only broken games apart but also received the recognition at a higher level that is superior to the Judd we know.
While both have won a Brownlow Medal, the Leigh Matthews Trophy, Goal of the Year, been club captain and have been part of the Eagles 2006 success as AFL premiers, it is Cousins who splits the pack with extra accolades which add extra gloss on his overall resume as a player.
He’s made the All-Australian Team on a whopping six occasions, to only Judd’s two, won the Eagles Club Champion award (Best and Fairest) four times to Judd’s two, and has the upper hand as captain for the Eagles for five seasons to Judd who took the post twice.
However, with Judd having already captained Carlton from 2008 when he arrived, the leadership debate pales into insignificance.
While it may seem Cousins’ accolades are of higher order than Judd, and that he has also racked up a fair few more of importance, Judd is still only 26 years of age, as opposed to Cousins, who is 32 and has closed the curtain on his career.
Judd is still is a work in progress and breaking games apart in his own right. He won the Brownlow at a younger age of 21, in comparison to Cousins, who won his at 27.
He also had more votes in 2004 than Cousins had in 2005, with 30 votes to 20, showing how far he was ahead of the competition individually that season.
In the year he was recruited, he won the AFLPA Best First Year Player Award to Ben’s AFL Rising Star, showing little difference in between the two. Many would say when Chris Judd took the mantle as Captain of the Eagles in 2006, Cousins was still the spiritual leader. His father Bryan never wanted Cousins captain at 23 years of age before then, yet he got the role.
This showed Cousins’ overriding potential and influence on the game as people could see he was a teenage sensation right when he hit the field.
Cousins’ skills were exquisite, his touch was brilliant, and leadership was bar none when in the zone. He trained the house down as if he was playing, with his obsessive compulsive nature the catalyst to this occurring.
He leads Judd for the fact he is a clinical finisher and has shone brightly at more vital stages and has the respect on the board in the trophy cabinet on a higher level.
The man reeks class and will never be forgotten, for he is a champion on the field and will always be engraved as the No.1 Eagle who was always flying high in more ways than one.
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