is cousins ready to come back?

[AnnieH]

the criminals are going to the afl to see if it's ok yet that benny-boy come back into the fold.

this really saddens me. it doesn't give off a very good message to the littlies.

if this was any other sport, he would have been out on his butt - no second chances.

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuId=12&ContentID=30556

[BBBBH]

i think it shows that even the best need to earn respect.

if he returns he will have to earn the respect of the players/coaches.

gun player and great bloke, doesnt mean much harm he just made some bad decisions.

i think if he makes a full recovery and turns his life around it'll be a pretty good story in the end. i mean he had his world turned on its head, and hes had to work hard to get back to where he is now, on the brink of a return.

good on him, seems to have got his life back in order.

[AnnieH]

i think it shows that even the best need to earn respect.

if he returns he will have to earn the respect of the players/coaches.

gun player and great bloke, doesnt mean much harm he just made some bad decisions.

i think if he makes a full recovery and turns his life around it'll be a pretty good story in the end. i mean he had his world turned on its head, and hes had to work hard to get back to where he is now, on the brink of a return.

good on him, seems to have got his life back in order.

respect???????
at west coast??????

[BBBBH]

respect???????
at west coast??????

we may hate them as much as we do, but they are alike to any other club.

cousins must put the club first in order to get back to the standing which he was at before this whole fiasco.

best of luck to him, he is an 'enemy' in terms of football. but as a person i wish him all the best, i dont wish someones career/life to be destroyed because of mistakes made.

[AnnieH]

we may hate them as much as we do, but they are alike to any other club.

cousins must put the club first in order to get back to the standing which he was at before this whole fiasco.

best of luck to him, he is an 'enemy' in terms of football. but as a person i wish him all the best, i dont wish someones career/life to be destroyed because of mistakes made.

get back to the standing????? maybe for the rest of the footy world pal.
the way the criminals board is talking, he deserved a slap on the wrist only for his "misdemeanour". Puhlease!!!

he deserves to be kicked out of the competition. it's not sending a very good message out to the littlies that idolise him. it's saying that it's ok to get addicted to prohibited drugs, have a bit of rehab, then jump straight back into the game, as if nothing has happened. no wonder gen y are so @@@@@@ up.

[BBBBH]

get back to the standing????? maybe for the rest of the footy world pal.
the way the criminals board is talking, he deserved a slap on the wrist only for his "misdemeanour". Puhlease!!!

he deserves to be kicked out of the competition. it's not sending a very good message out to the littlies that idolise him. it's saying that it's ok to get addicted to prohibited drugs, have a bit of rehab, then jump straight back into the game, as if nothing has happened. no wonder gen y are so @@@@@@ up.

i disagree with the bolded statement, the board has reacted by exiling ben from the club for an extended period of time, and are also quite stern in their approach in not letting cousins back until he is fully recovered and devoted to the club.

im pissed off with this whole "wont somebody please think of the children" approach. most kids wont be able to comprehend what this whole thing is about nor the seriousness of it.

are you saying people do not deserve second chances. we can condemn him, exile him, ridicule him and get him "kicked out of the competition". but will this really help the issue go away, i see it as the AFL saying "its not our problem anymore" if cousins was kicked out of the competition. we all make mistakes and they make us better as people when we learn from them as ben cousins is doing now.

this is a good debate topic!

[AnnieH]

i disagree with the bolded statement, the board has reacted by exiling ben from the club for an extended period of time, and are also quite stern in their approach in not letting cousins back until he is fully recovered and devoted to the club.

from the article ....

West Coast officials are preparing for talks with AFL powerbrokers later this week in a bid to speed up the return of champion midfielder Ben Cousins.

Eagles chief executive Trevor Nisbett confirmed he was planning to meet senior AFL figures, believed to be chief executive Andrew Demetriou and football operations manager Adrian Anderson, before the reigning premiers? Friday night clash with Essendon at Telstra Dome.

Nisbett, who is likely to be joined at any meeting by club chairman Dalton Gooding, revealed West Coast?s plans after a fruitful meeting with Cousins yesterday, declaring it was ?viable? to think the 2005 Brownlow medallist would play for the Eagles this season

[BBBBH]

cousins has been out of action for 10 weeks so far, that max penalty for 3 strikes is 12 weeks out of the game. it looks like cousins is looking at a 14-16 week penalty, more than the afl's ruling.

[AnnieH]

cousins has been out of action for 10 weeks so far, that max penalty for 3 strikes is 12 weeks out of the game. it looks like cousins is looking at a 14-16 week penalty, more than the afl's ruling.

the afl didn't rule that cousins be suspended ... his club did. if the afl want the players to take their drug laws and regulations seriously, maybe they should extend the penalty ... to permanent.

[BBBBH]

the afl didn't rule that cousins be suspended ... his club did. if the afl want the players to take their drug laws and regulations seriously, maybe they should extend the penalty ... to permanent.

i know that the afl didnt suspend him, but im saying west coast will end up suspending him longer than the AFL would've if they found out (3 times).

[Damien]

On the subject, if Ben Cousins is OK to come back and is cleared by his club and the AFL, then I don't really have an issue with it.

Maybe some community work is in order though and have him talk about the effct drug addiction had on his life, but I think considering the public shame he has been put through, plus missing over half a season - despite never testing positive to anything in WADA or AFL testing, he has probably been punished enough in the scheme of things.

[Ruda Wakening]

the criminals are going to the afl to see if it's ok yet that benny-boy come back into the fold.

this really saddens me.

I'm sure they'll take that into account.

[Zlatorog]

Ask me if I care....

[573v30]

2008

[ScottH]

Ch 9 or 10 (can't remember which) news cameras filmed him training privately in Perth. So his comeback might be sooner than people think.