Ben Cousins

[saj_21]

I would love for Cousins to play for melbourne, but with the hard line we took with johno (traded) caroll (club suspension) Maclean (dumped from leadership group) and sylvia (missing training). Picking up cousins could contradict our efforts to toughen up the club. He could bring a lot of negative publicity to the club and vice versa.

Dont get me wrong i would love to see him in the red and blue, but may go against the clubs changing culture.

 

[CowboyFromHell]

That's a different story, however I highly doubt Daniel Kerr will end up in the PSD.

I know you said hypothetically speaking by the way.

Kerr is contracted till the end of 2009 so we can't get him in the PSD. It will have to be by trade.

 

[McLean_4_Captain]

He's worth the risk. The only reason we shouldnt take him is if we get kerr.

Despite the risk to our culture, i think it'd be worth it. And anyway, cousins is smart enough to realise that if he wants to play AFL again he'll be monitored so closely he'll have to be cleaner then clean or he'll constantly be dragged through the media & it'll cost him his multi $100,000 football contract.

The way he plays to, we have no like him. At his best, he is the hardest runner in the league, that 4th quarter gut running when he's got nothing left but keeps pushing anyway, that can't be taught, and it will show a thing or too to our midfielders about giving everything you've got.

If he's available, we'd be crazy not to take him

 

[cougar000]

We pretty much have #1 pick in PSD sewn up, and with a quality player in it for the first time in about 5 years, do you think we will get him? I'd say there will be a fair amount of salary cap room at end of year with quite a few players getting delisted/retiring ie. yze.

I'm sick of people saying about how we have the number 1 pick sewn up we are six rounds in anything can happen between now and round 22 we might win 2, 3, 4, 5 games West Coast, Carlton, Richmond etc might not what are the going to be saying then, hope not going to suggest we should start tanking. Number 1 pick would be nice but other sides have built a competive sides with out getting the big prize for coming last we just need to pick up good quality players no matter where in the draft.

 

[Robbo24]

Dont count us off yet boys, i rekn weve got the premiership in the bag. Very positive signs from last week so. </p>now on serious terms, if hes in there we pick him up, no doubt about that. No way in the world you can miss a talent like that who cares, hes been on drugs hes getting old but he will still star for the next few years. Natural talent.

 

[Number32]

We cannot get any WORSE than what we are right now!!! Bringing in cousins cannot possibly make us any, he can only make our club better.

Sign him up on a one year contract with an option for another if he warrants it.

He is a gun player, looks after his body and could player another 4 years at AFL level, if there isnt anyone else to pick up id say GO FOR HIM!!!!!

P.S Iv heard he has been training at Junction Oval if that means anything...

 

[FOOOOTY]

Imagine that kerr cousins carroll mclean, they could do a show just like russell crowe did on south park "fightin around the world"

Hahahaha that was awesome.

 

[RandB]

I would love to see Cuz in the red & blue but what is the point in picking up someone who will be about 31 by then? especially when we should be going for youth...

Best point so far! Forget Cousins.

 

[Dez!]

Best point so far! Forget Cousins.

It's not the best point or even a good point at all.

Age doesn't mean much especially since Ben Cousins will have had a year off AFL football, his body will refreshed and it will add 2/3 years onto the 2/3 years he would still have left.

We'd be stupid not to take Cousins if we had the chance.

 

[RandB]

It's not the best point or even a good point at all.

Age doesn't mean much especially since Ben Cousins will have had a year off AFL football, his body will refreshed and it will add 2/3 years onto the 2/3 years he would still have left.

We'd be stupid not to take Cousins if we had the chance.

The game has gone up a notch even this year while he's been out - a year out of football may have been good for him mentally but physically no way. Do you really think he'll be running around like he did in his premiership year in '06? Not to mention other "isues".

"it will add 2/3 years onto the 2/3 years he would still have left." - so you think he'll be potentially still going at it (and sustaining high standards) by the time he is 36? Give me a break, a short term waste of time.

 

[Dez!]

The game has gone up a notch even this year while he's been out - a year out of football may have been good for him mentally but physically no way. Do you really think he'll be running around like he did in his premiership year in '06? Not to mention other "isues".

"it will add 2/3 years onto the 2/3 years he would still have left." - so you think he'll be potentially still going at it (and sustaining high standards) by the time he is 36? Give me a break, a short term waste of time.

It's the PSD, you don't go into thinking we will grab a 10 year player, that's what the National Draft is for.

It would be anything but a waste of time.

 

[eliasd82]

I am almost certain Bailey will not give this idea any thought.. its against everything this club has done this year... Not a chance...Warnock much more likely...Cousins will go to Richmond, Essendon or Collingwood...some like that.

 

[ExTasDeeMan]

No way - the problem with melbourne is that we have 'band-aided' too many times. We are in the basket lads, the only way out is to recruit for the next 5-10 years, not the next 2.

 

[Devastating Boris]

If we chase cousins we may as well chase Joel Bowden as well.

 

[royalsfan]

rather pick up daniel kerr. will probaly happen with trades though if it does.

Daniel is contracted until the end of 2009 - and has REPEATEDLY said he wants to be an Eagle for life.

 

[RandB]

It's the PSD, you don't go into thinking we will grab a 10 year player, that's what the National Draft is for.

It would be anything but a waste of time.

Seriously dude, I know how the drafts work.

My point is about how much service we would get out of him and how suitable he would be for a club like the Dees regardless of the fact that it is the PSD. He would be maybe ok for a year or two at best. Collingwood or another team looking at a premiership window next year may take a punt on him but it would be a waste of time for us. IMO he was a very individualistic type player, not a leader that would rub off on others. He would just be taking a spot in the midfield off someone we could develope long term.

 

[MicksterD]

Its a tough one because on the one hand Cuz would definitely improve our midfield so in the short term we would win a few more games and I'd definitely LOVE to see that. The counter argument is that he would be taking a midfield role off another player that we could develop however it seems like we have alot of players that need to be shown the door over the next few years if we are serious about our long term prospects so why not get Cuz into the side for a couple of years to share his experience and help develop the youngsters that come in over that period (but if his sharing of his experience extends to the 'nightlife' then he would be out before you could say "line Cuzzy?).

I guess I'd just love to see a player wearing the red and blue who can run the lines, break tackles and deliver with precision into the forward line even if it is only for a couple of years

 

[McLean_4_Captain]

IMO he was a very individualistic type player, not a leader that would rub off on others. He would just be taking a spot in the midfield off someone we could develope long term.

True he is individualistic, but we don't want to make him captain, players learn from playing with good players.

I guess I'd just love to see a player wearing the red and blue who can run the lines, break tackles and deliver with precision into the forward line even if it is only for a couple of years

Thats exactly what we need and i can't think of melbourne player in the last 10 years who's done it anywhere near as well as cousins, so if our young midfield can learn a thing or 2 from him, its worth it. Then we can push our older midfielders like bruce/green forward.

Think about a midfield rotation of McLean, Jones, Bartram, Bate, Morton, Davey & Cousins plus anyone we may draft, with the occasional use of bruce & green.

That midfield is not too old

 

[wce4premiership]

I think Cousins would thrive on the challenge of playing at a struggling club - If he did go to a team, I'd like it to be Melbourne, because I reckon he'd do a good job.

Edit: We are a struggling club ...would gladly see him back and in good health

He's used to leading struggling teams.

He was a standout all by himself in the 2000-2003 period when we weren't very good.

 

[wce4premiership]

dont want him.

The coaches and board are talking about "culture change" and lack of leadership at mfc. All this would count for nothing if we went after cousins. I love his talent and admire him as a footballer and would love him playing for melbourne, but to me it would seem we are taking one step foward and three steps back.

Cousins is one of the best leaders in the afl.

Actually i can't think of a better one now that voss, hird and rucciouto are gone.

 

[edgehead47]

Cousins is one of the best leaders in the afl.

Actually i can't think of a better one now that voss, hird and rucciouto are gone.

no hes not. he's not in the afl and even then i wouldn't rate him as a top leader

 

[wce4premiership]

The game has gone up a notch even this year while he's been out - a year out of football may have been good for him mentally but physically no way. Do you really think he'll be running around like he did in his premiership year in '06? Not to mention other "isues".

You've got to be joking.

The eagles midfield were the pioneers of extremely high possession play with lots of handballs. The games pace is nowhere near out of cousins reach, he's the best runner in the afl.

Cousins will have another 3 possible aa years left in him. He can always rest up forward, that's where he started his career and he knows where the goals are.

 

[wce4premiership]

IMO he was a very individualistic type player, not a leader that would rub off on others. He would just be taking a spot in the midfield off someone we could develope long term.

I can't find any sense in this post. Cousins was always the best leader at the wc eagles, how was he ever individualistic?

 

[RandB]

I can't find any sense in this post. Cousins was always the best leader at the wc eagles, how was he ever individualistic?

He did a lot of long runs often in open space and looked quite mercurial at times but I remember him more for that than general team play. His disposal was great and he worked his ass off and he was a champ but I just got the feeling that his best footy didn't involve team play (link work) very often.

As for being the best leader, well what can I say - I'll take Judd any day of the week over Cousins... in all sense of the word "leader".

 

[RandB]

You've got to be joking.

The eagles midfield were the pioneers of extremely high possession play with lots of handballs. The games pace is nowhere near out of cousins reach, he's the best runner in the afl.

He was a great runner and stood out when other teams weren't as good in the middle but I doubt he would stand out as much now. He may be handy as an extra midfielder for a team with experienced players to bump them up a bit. Don't take this the wrong way but in his premiership year I personally have no doubt that recreational activities enhanced his on field ability - just an opinion.

Cousins will have another 3 possible aa years left in him. He can always rest up forward, that's where he started his career and he knows where the goals are.

Now that is funny. What is the point in speculating about AA especially when you think he would rest up forward (presumably because he is 31 next year?)