Ben Cousins - Suspended

[GVGjr]

Re: Ben Cousins - Suspended

I wonder how all this will impact the Judd signing later in the years. Fist fights between senior players, champion players being suspend is not a good environment and one that he might be having a rethink about now

[BulldogBelle]

Re: Ben Cousins - Suspended

I wonder how all this will impact the Judd signing later in the years. Fist fights between senior players, champion players being suspend is not a good environment and one that he might be having a rethink about now

Yes, will be interesting to see what Judd does at the end of the season. Perhaps the Eagles making this stand against Cousins is to show Judd that they are trying to 'fix' things down at Eagleland thus trying to retain his services after his contract runs out.

[Missing-Dog]

Re: Ben Cousins - Suspended

Radio report said he had missed a couple of training sessions, and appeared to be "clearly intoxicated" at the club family day. news.com reports also state he missed a second training session.

I didnt see anyone drunk at our family day. The queues for the wine tasting were far too long.

[Dry Rot]

Re: Ben Cousins - Suspended

Radio report said he... appeared to be "clearly intoxicated" at the club family day.

Excellent stuff - he's joined the Martin Pyke Club.

[alwaysadog]

Re: Ben Cousins - Suspended

Perhaps the Eagles making this stand against Cousins is to show Judd that they are trying to 'fix' things down at Eagleland thus trying to retain his services after his contract runs out.

Please don't think I'm picking on you BulldogBelle but I don't think Cousins is the real problem as silly and stupid as he appears to be, nor are intoxicating substances of any form IMHO.

The real culprits in this thing are the people at the club who have kept sweeping this issue under the carpet for quite a few years because they were too concerned for image, win at all costs and other insubstantial things.

Cousins has been let down by a whole lot of people who should have acted years ago. Now he will be a scapegoat for those who allowed this occur and who will blame him for all the problems they haven't been game to deal with.

What is more it's still going on. We are getting all this Bull Sh*t about his family problems being at the heart of the matter when Blind Freddy knows that abuse is a the core of the problem. You don't take the steps the Weagles have now taken if he just has to sort out a few family problems as difficult and traumatic as they can be.

I recall several years ago a player who came to us from the west alleged then that Cousins and a close mate had a certain habit. At the time I didn't know what to make of it. But I am sure of one thing, if it was widely known in the west all that time ago then the Club leaders should have acted. IMHO there is a major failure of their duty of care. I'll bet however that it's Cousins who gets penalised for breach of contract to cover up the short comings of the real culprits.

If I was Andrew D I'd be calling in the whole Eagle's Board and admin and reading the riot act to them and suggesting they might be in breach of their licence conditions. If they are going to scapegoat Cousins who I've got no time for, but see as just a silly pawn in a bigger game, then given the embarassment the League has suffered it might be pertinent to give them a few weks to get their house in order or the AFl might seek to resume the licence.

[Dry Rot]

Re: Ben Cousins - Suspended

Good post AAD.

IIRC about 18 months ago when I was a BF Mod I was deleting defamatory posts about WCE players and drugs which now look to be true.

Goes well beyond just Cousins and this incident for a long time, and their club has done nothing till now.

[alwaysadog]

Re: Ben Cousins - Suspended

Good post AAD.

IIRC about 18 months ago when I was a BF Mod I was deleting defamatory posts about WCE players and drugs which now look to be true.

Goes well beyond just Cousins and this incident for a long time, and their club has done nothing till now.

My contact alleged things were out of hand about 5 years ago.

Currently there is also a possible more sinister side. Why would two other Eagle's players have come to blows over him. One was housing him and the other has an interesting medical history that is yet to be fully understood, but which smells fishier and fishier by the day and by his actions.

Was this an attempt to prevent a wider damaging disclosure to the drug testing or other authorities?

Let me make it clear that I gain no satisfaction from the whole sorry mess and am in no way seeking to make capital out of it. I am more concerned that the issue is addressed, that a solution is found and that the Club comes to accept its responsibilities to get the players who need it get proper help, not the washing our hands of the problem approach which seems to predominate.

Banishment was a medieval way of ridding oneself of problems, the Eagles can do better and must be persuaded or forced to do so, they cannot be allowed to hide their collective complicity in this matter.

[BulldogBelle]

Re: Ben Cousins - Suspended

The real culprits in this thing are the people at the club who have kept sweeping this issue under the carpet for quite a few years because they were too concerned for image, win at all costs and other insubstantial things.

Cousins has been let down by a whole lot of people who should have acted years ago. Now he will be a scapegoat for those who allowed this occur and who will blame him for all the problems they haven't been game to deal with.

Agree with you totally and they will make an example out of Cousins, the problems at the club go back quite awhile and it has just come to a head now. This latest thing being the last straw. Will be interesting to see how the Eagles deal with this all. I don't think this is the end of it, more will come out.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Ben Cousins - Suspended

My contact alleged things were out of hand about 5 years ago.

I don't know how they managed to win a premiership with the alleged substance misuse being rife and it would appear the apparent lack of discipline by the club

It's funny itsn't it, people like Sam Newman, like to portray our club and supporters as being a pack of ferral bogons - yet if you cast your eye back over the last five to ten years, there has been no drink driving scandals, no drug scandals, no alleged sexual assualts of barmaids or other women, no wife swapping, no loss of sponsorship money through players misbehaviour, no assaults being carried out on taxi drivers or other members of the public, no Intervention Orders being slapped on family members ummm any more... The Western bulldogs are a club with a good moral culture - If that is what a bogon is - well I am glad to be one .

[Bornadog]

Re: Ben Cousins - Suspended

Did any one read the Sunday Age last week on Cousins and the incident around Xmas when he was picked up on the streets out of it and spent 4 hours in a cell?

According to the article a passer by tried to help Cousins and he says Cousins was high on drugs and not drunk. It was interesting reading.

[alwaysadog]

Re: Ben Cousins - Suspended

I don't know how they managed to win a premiership with the alleged substance misuse being rife and it would appear the apparent lack of discipline by the club

It's funny itsn't it, people like Sam Newman, like to portray our club and supporters as being a pack of ferral bogons - yet if you cast your eye back over the last five to ten years, there has been no drink driving scandals, no drug scandals, no alleged sexual assualts of barmaids or other women, no wife swapping, no loss of sponsorship money through players misbehaviour, no assaults being carried out on taxi drivers or other members of the public, no Intervention Orders being slapped on family members ummm any more... The Western bulldogs are a club with a good moral culture - If that is what a bogon is - well I am glad to be one .

I'm always worried about stones and glass houses but we appear to have been remarkably restrained. There have been a couple of allegations but nothing has proceeded from them to my knowledge. I'm sure that we haven't got a bunch of choir boys but we do seem to have a group who don't seem to need to live on the edge. God, I hope these aren't famous last words!

[alwaysadog]

Re: Ben Cousins - Suspended

Agree with you totally and they will make an example out of Cousins, the problems at the club go back quite awhile and it has just come to a head now. This latest thing being the last straw. Will be interesting to see how the Eagles deal with this all. I don't think this is the end of it, more will come out.

If it is not to gnaw away at the AFL like a cancer it has to be dealt with expeditiously and effectively. I see no sign that the Weagles are headed in that direction. They are still in damage control mode.

The AFL must intervene. If it was our club they'd be busting in the doors right now, but will they challenge the mighty powerful people behind the Weagles?

In the final analysis all the hard work to establish the code as a socially progressive and inclusive organisation is at risk. Having got all the kudos for anti racist and anti sexist initiatives and recognition for multicultural achievements it can't afford to fail the challenge of this even greater social evil.

It's not one the AFL thought they were going to have to address, but if they have any brains they will hear the clarion call and put their considerable resources to bear before those resources disipate.

It's not just advertising revenue but a more fundamental faith that the public have in the way the game is administered that is at stake.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Ben Cousins - Suspended

I'm always worried about stones and glass houses but we appear to have been remarkably restrained. There have been a couple of allegations but nothing has proceeded from them to my knowledge. I'm sure that we haven't got a bunch of choir boys but we do seem to have a group who don't seem to need to live on the edge. God, I hope these aren't famous last words!

Yeah, I didn't mean it to sound cocky it was more of a reflection. I believe that a culture of a club is made through decent human beings, and that a good solid culture cannot be bought. And while I am sure there has been a few incidents of one kind or another - the club has dealt with those incidents in a way that has obviously been effective and final - not brushing them under the rug.

[alwaysadog]

Re: Ben Cousins - Suspended

Yeah, I didn't mean it to sound cocky it was more of a reflection. I believe that a culture of a club is made through decent human beings, and that a good solid culture cannot be bought. And while I am sure there has been a few incidents of one kind or another - the club has dealt with those incidents in a way that has obviously been effective and final - not brushing them under the rug.

No suggestion on my part that you were cocky, it's just my fear that the sky won't just fall on cock robin but that it is always ready to fall in on the bulldogs. If the truth is known I've been proud of our boys especially in recent times because they seem so grounded and so focussed on the important things in football and life. In our adversity we have grouped closer together and worked on the worthwhile things and not let ourselves get distracted by the hoopla and glitz.

[Dry Rot]

Re: Ben Cousins - Suspended

We are not without sin and I reckon all clubs have a few skeletons in the cupboard, but WCE seems way over the top.