Patrick Dangerfield vs Ben Cousins

[Benny78]

Danger.

Cousins never came close to reaching Dangers 2016/17 seasons.

 

[avishka5]

Cuz was way more classier.

Faster than Cousins though? I guess they're similar. Cousins just seemed like he could outrun almost everyone in tight spaces.

Yes. Danger in a straightline is a thing to watch. We probably see it less these days due to a few factors but he was probably one of the quickest players in the comp in his early days at the crows.

 

[frenchconnection]

Dangerfield will probably go down as a touch better. Both were some of the best players of their eras. Cousins probably wasn't ever considered the #1 player in the game, even the year he won the brownlow Judd was probably still widely appreciated as the #1 player. Cousins was a bit more like Pendlebury in this era where he had that consistent top 10 type status.

Dangerfield has had several years in the top 2 in the game and has been the best player in the game. 2018 hasn't been his best year but I've little doubt he still has some epic years to come. If he remains fit he will easily shade Cousins career achievements in terms of AA's etc.

In terms of attributes - Cousins had better endurance and was a better kick, Dangerfield better mark, slightly better pace and better contested work.

This is just a personal opinion - always found Cousins a more exciting player to watch - Judd was very explosive but I always thought overall Cousins was the better player. Others will no doubt disagree of course!

 

[FrankCostanza]

Ben Cousins for me. His better disposal tells the story. If Dangerfield didn't regularly butcher the ball you'd probably have him close to on par with Cousins.

 

[FrankCostanza]

I would say the drugs would have made it easier for him to increase his fitness and I am suprised by anyone who says anything to the contrary

True, I know plenty of meth heads that are elite athletes.

 

[richoatthedisco]

What the stats dont show is Cousin's ability to run beyond human thresholds constantly. He had a year where he spewed at least twice a game just purely down to pushing himself so hard. The distances he covered and at the intensity he ran at to make the next contest are unrivaled IMO. Danger is great but he never pushes his body to the same limits. For that alone, I would say Cousins was in a league of his own.
Some will say drugs allowed him to do that but he was never on the gear while playing. If anything the drugs just made it harder for him to maintain that fitness level which made it more remarkable.

The drugs helped him get super-fit, no question. You can push yourself further for longer training on coke/speed/ice.

I loved Cuz as a player, love him for his two years at Richmond, was blown away when I saw him come off the ground in a game against us in late 2006, when you were 100 points up, and spew from running so hard. He was a better ball user than Danger, who is a virtuoso power player but blazes away far too often. Cuz the better leader as well.

If I had to pick one for a team, at their peak, leaving aside the drugs, gimme Cuz.

 

[Doashuey]

Re the drugs yes they are stimulants however I am pretty certain he didnt train on them and as I mentioned elsewhere the effects on his health from taking them would cancel out any benifits. His abilty to push was mental not physical and he had that as a kid way before the drugs.

 

[The King!]

I’d take cousins every day of the week , maybe not as polished in the media, but a level above imo

 

[Requiem]

Cousins for now.

Dangerfield has a few years left of his prime to catch up.

 

[The_Eagles]

Looking forward Dangerfield squeaks ahead of Cuz by the end of their careers. Not Judd though.

 

[Schraderbrau]

Well I guess this is an unpopular view but cousins is one of the more overrated players of the modern era imo. Just a very good outside accumulator imo and his kicking was nowhere near as good as some are dressing it up to be itt. I take Dangerfield every day of the week.