Ben Cousins shafted by the NOT SO SAINTS

[Dee tention 611]

I am a great Ben Cousins fan!

I believe he could be a great leader and mentor for our young club! Enough said I think. I believe he is at least a 2 year player. Would be a great addition to our midfield and think Brock would benefit greatley as would the club. Back him in to rid his drug addiction and back him in as a footballer.

I would rather see him run around as a Demon rather than any other club. Would boost our attendances and membership also! I have no doubt about that.

[Whispering_Jack 28,102]

I am a great Ben Cousins fan!

I believe he could be a great leader and mentor for our young club! Enough said I think. I believe he is at least a 2 year player. Would be a great addition to our midfield and think Brock would benefit greatley as would the club. Back him in to rid his drug addiction and back him in as a footballer.

I would rather see him run around as a Demon rather than any other club. Would boost our attendances and membership also! I have no doubt about that.

Not really.

How do we know St. Kilda shafted him?

The press release is basically ambiguous and I doubt we will ever know exactly what happened during St. Kilda's board meeting tonight.

[w00dy 146]

Personally I'd like us to look at getting him. Not much else doing in the PSD except youngsters who were overlooked in the national draft.

Can't see Bails and the recruiting staff doing it though.

[Dee tention 611]

I will make a bold prediction and say he will be a Demon after the PSD. The MFC, Jim Stynes and his foundation could build a relationship with Ben Cousins. It would work for both parties. The Dee's are screaming for a leader and player mentor. Doubt we would go for it though.

But I really hope we do! Be bold Demons and make an exception. This bloke is too good to pass up.

[demon85 17]

I would be interested to know what Scotty West would think about picking him up and to see if he thinks they could work well together.

Would love to see Ben playing for the Dee's!

[Hannabal 4]

What another time wasting thread. He won't be a Dee and he's a terrible fit for where our club currently sits.

Cousins only has himself to blame for his current predicament. I suspect the usual swagger won't be as noticeable tonight.

[w00dy 146]

The MFC, Jim Stynes and his foundation could build a relationship with Ben Cousins. It would work for both parties.

I was just thinking he'd be a good fit for the Reach foundation. Again, this is all a futile exercise, as we won't be drafting him.

[Swampfox 190]

I am one of a few of you that have actually seen success at the MFC

I can understand those who havent and you being frustrated by the lack of flag success though your entire life

Short term fixes are NOT what we need guys

Cousins is NOT in the long term best interests of the MFC

[Ron Burgundy 8,584]

I reckon Cousins would come close to winning the Brownlow next year if recruited by an AFL club. It's likely he'll be very cheap as well ...

[Damo 3,032]

I think Ben did his level best and it shows how difficult it is to change such a long and sustained period of bad habits when you have divested yourself of decent friends.

[demonate 0]

why is everyone all so negative if we can't fit a player of that caliber on the list then our club has problems.

it can not tarnish our reputation because at the moment we have none

[e25 5]

why is everyone all so negative if we can't fit a player of that caliber on the list then our club has problems.

it can not tarnish our reputation because at the moment we have none

well, we do have a reputation. Its not great, but it doesn't need any more harm done to it.

And our club DOES have problems - have you been living under a rock?

[Gorgoroth 12,416]

As good as a player Ben is , he will not end up at the MFC.

[Redleg 38,362]

well, we do have a reputation. Its not great, but it doesn't need any more harm done to it.

And our club DOES have problems - have you been living under a rock?

Correct. Who would like to be the one to tell the parents of our draftees and younger players that we are going to have Ben Cousins playing, training and socialising with their sons.?

[Golgothan 0]

A lot of you seem to be missing the bigger picture which has ruled a lot of clubs out of even considering Cousins, Sponsors.

Clubs like Brisbane who've said they're interested in Cousins have had their sponsors come out and say in no uncertain terms they'd be none to pleased if the club recruited him. So we as a club currently without a major sponsor cannot afford the risk of scaring away potential backers because they don't want to be linked to Cousins.

While i'd love to have a player of his calibre at MFC, it's pretty simple & clear cut. So other debates about whether he's the right fit for our club or not are irrelevant, we've got enough obstacles getting a sponsor as it is without adding another major roadblock. One player, no matter how good, cannot be considered great value then the club as a whole

[e25 5]

Correct. Who would like to be the one to tell the parents of our draftees and younger players that we are going to have Ben Cousins playing, training and socialising with their sons.?

Exactly. I'm not worried about what sort of effect he'll have on them, more the perceived effect & how that will damage the club's image.

And by the looks of it, that's the problem for other clubs too.

fwiw i think cousins' situation has had a really good effect on all the other players in the AFL. They have witnessed his downfall & the media sh!tstorm around him, & know they don't want that in their lives.

I was actually with a current AFL player a month or so after the announcement he had an addiction. This guy had a reputation of being a bit of a party boy in the past. Some girls we were with went down the beach (at night) & decided to buy some cocaine from a guy there - without a word the player slipped away & went to sit 50m away on his own. I went over & sat with him & after seeing cousins he didn't want any part in that sorta thing anymore.

I think in this case Cousins has been a positive influence.

[H_T 2,941]

As good as a player Ben is , he will not end up at the MFC.

Agree. But I would have said "was", not "is."

[drdrake 3,059]

I was dead against getting Ben Cousins but now I think he should be considered. Our young midfielders have had no one to teach them how to bust a gut and run your arse off. This guy will show our young team what is required on the field to be one of the best players in the competition. Agreed he won't be playing when this group have a real chance for finals success but he can teach them what is required to be the best. His dad was a demon legend(Perth Demon) maybe he can fast track the development of our young midfield.

The tough question is do we go against the policy we have stuck to and stated clearly or take a risk on a player that will teach the young players what is required on the field.

I tell you one club that would of held a meeting today with the best player in the comp asking if he can play with Cousins again, if the answer is yes the blues are definately coming.

[e25 5]

I heard Ricky Nixon on SEN yesterday (i think?) saying a few clubs have approached him in the last week or so about Cuz.

He said he told them they were wasting their time & that they would need more time than there was between now & the draft to do their due diligence.

Sounds to me like he was a bit hasty in hindsight.

[uncle joe 0]

Was dead against drafting him for a long time , but thinking a lot about it in the last few hours , I believe he would be good for us .

We have lost a huge amount of experience in the last few months . Neitz , White , Yze , Carroll , ( yes I know , but he is a very experienced , tough player ) and we are about to pick 6 or 7 kids , 17 or 18 years old .

We already ave a lot of young , inexperienced blokes about to go out and do battle with the gorilla's of the AFL . They are going to get smashed !!!

I believe Cousins would gve these young guys an unbelieveable amount of help , courage , and confidence just by being on the field with them .

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

I heard Ricky Nixon on SEN yesterday (i think?) saying a few clubs have approached him in the last week or so about Cuz.

He said he told them they were wasting their time & that they would need more time than there was between now & the draft to do their due diligence.

Sounds to me like he was a bit hasty in hindsight.

No just being honest. No side is going to go for Cousins on a whim. They will need to do at least the same amount of due diligence that the other clubs did including sounding out the position of their sponsors. There is a lot of ground work to do.

I am not sure why people are suddenly turning in favour of MFC going for Cousins. Yeah I know we wont. But nothing has changed and as pointed out by Caro Wilson there is reason to question some of Cousins recent behaviour.

And further I did not see Neitz, Yze and White provide any useful experience or real leadership. The players could not have been more smashed by the opposition if they tried. And Carroll a loss of experience??

[demonate 0]

well, we do have a reputation. Its not great, but it doesn't need any more harm done to it.

And our club DOES have problems - have you been living under a rock?

Yes we are the conservative club that never takes a risk and waits for things to happen not creating our own destiny he is just a player accountable for his own actions. Ben is not Satan and if he was so what are we not the DEMONS? yes I have maybe I should pick that rock up and throw it at the shell that MFC has been hiding in and set them free

Correct. Who would like to be the one to tell the parents of our draftees and younger players that we are going to have Ben Cousins playing, training and socialising with their sons.?

he's not an murderer you make it sound like he was a hard line criminal how is he any different to any other player who got tanked on booze and drove his car home?

[Choko 493]

I think the Cousins saga is another example of clubs thinking too much and forgetting that their skill is kicking a football and not rocket science. There is so much "holier-than-thou" crap being spat out.

Yes, there are sponsors, etc... but I promise you, what sponsors like most is being associated with winners. Who now thinks less of Hungry Jack's because Ben Cousins took non-performance enhancing drugs? It's just crap.

If a club doesn't want to take Cousins for football reasons (his hammies, his age, no need for a midfielder) then fair enough. But for crying out loud, the guy had (or has) a drug problem. Hmm, let me see.... a guy earning a 7 figure income, living in a fishbowl where everyone wants a piece of him, young and social.... takes "recreational" drugs. Stop the press!!! There are people with drug problems in your workplace, your life and your community. In fact, there are AFL players who have been twice guilty of drug use whose names we don't know who could be "outed" any time. Some of them are very successful footballers.

The reality is, the AFL never used to test for these drugs. There is no allegation of performance enhancing drugs being used. It's a personal problem that has become a PR issue. 3 urine tests per week is a ridiculous condition.

It's pretty simple really. If the guy relapses, he is sacked and never plays again. The club holds a press conference and says "we tried, and most fair-minded Aussies would agree that a guy deserves a chance. Unfortunately, despite all our educational and rehabilitation efforts, Ben Cousins needs to look within himself. This is a personal issue, and we have no further comment. We would like to thank our sponsors, who always ride the bumps with us. We have donated 50K on behalf of INSERT SPONSOR towards drug rehab, an issue we both feel is a massive issue for young Australians".

For the record, I would love the MFC to have the balls to pick Ben Cousins up. There is no-one of note to pick up in the PSD anyway, and at least Ben Cousins will enhance our midfield, has a work ethic the young guys will worship, and we will be in the papers. I know we won't, though.

[montasaurus 0]

here, here......

If we have the opportunity to draft ben (with the last nat draft pick or PSD) and pass, I'll WANT ANSWERS!

[e25 5]

I think the Cousins saga is another example of clubs thinking too much and forgetting that their skill is kicking a football and not rocket science. There is so much "holier-than-thou" crap being spat out.

Yes, there are sponsors, etc... but I promise you, what sponsors like most is being associated with winners. Who now thinks less of Hungry Jack's because Ben Cousins took non-performance enhancing drugs? It's just crap.

If a club doesn't want to take Cousins for football reasons (his hammies, his age, no need for a midfielder) then fair enough. But for crying out loud, the guy had (or has) a drug problem. Hmm, let me see.... a guy earning a 7 figure income, living in a fishbowl where everyone wants a piece of him, young and social.... takes "recreational" drugs. Stop the press!!! There are people with drug problems in your workplace, your life and your community. In fact, there are AFL players who have been twice guilty of drug use whose names we don't know who could be "outed" any time. Some of them are very successful footballers.

The reality is, the AFL never used to test for these drugs. There is no allegation of performance enhancing drugs being used. It's a personal problem that has become a PR issue. 3 urine tests per week is a ridiculous condition.

It's pretty simple really. If the guy relapses, he is sacked and never plays again. The club holds a press conference and says "we tried, and most fair-minded Aussies would agree that a guy deserves a chance. Unfortunately, despite all our educational and rehabilitation efforts, Ben Cousins needs to look within himself. This is a personal issue, and we have no further comment. We would like to thank our sponsors, who always ride the bumps with us. We have donated 50K on behalf of INSERT SPONSOR towards drug rehab, an issue we both feel is a massive issue for young Australians".

For the record, I would love the MFC to have the balls to pick Ben Cousins up. There is no-one of note to pick up in the PSD anyway, and at least Ben Cousins will enhance our midfield, has a work ethic the young guys will worship, and we will be in the papers. I know we won't, though.

I think there's more to it than that.

We can't say 'despite our educational and rehabilitation efforts' unless we actually make them (which we or another club would need to do).

And in that case such a system needs to be properly researched & set up. Contingencies need to be put in place.

We would need to make sure we are capable of meeting the AFL's requirements in terms of his testing.

This is not a 5 minute decision, regardless of sponsorship issues. But that IS an issue for us, as we don't even have one yet.

Why make it potentially harder for us to get one? But if we do have one already lined up that is not yet announced, I'm all for going to them & sounding the idea out THEN proceeding with inquiries into whether we can make it work or not.

Its been bandied about a lot & its called 'due diligence'.