Magpies In Line To Sign Cousins
The Sunday Age
Sunday August 24, 2008
COLLINGWOOD is the front-runner to secure fallen West Coast star Ben Cousins, according to former Eagle Karl Langdon.
And suspended Magpies Heath Shaw and Alan Didak - the latter the subject of trade talk - seem to be back in favour with president Eddie McGuire, who says he "has no problem with forgiveness".Cousins had been given a conditional guarantee by the Pies that they would select him in the national or pre-season draft this year, Langdon said on Radio 6PR yesterday.He claimed that Cousins had all but signed at Collingwood."He's been pretty much guaranteed that if he gets through all fitness checks, all health regulations and does everything right that he needs to do to, then he will be signed at Collingwood next season," Langdon said.For Cousins to enter the national draft, he must meet certain regulations and satisfy the AFL that he has overcome the drug-related issues that led to his ban.Cousins began his career at East Fremantle before going on to win the 2005 Brownlow Medal when he was captain of West Coast.His 238-game AFL career ended abruptly last year when he was sacked by the Eagles, then deregistered by the AFL for 12 months, for bringing the game into disrepute. AFL football operations chief Adrian Anderson said Cousins must have a series of tests and prove that he had been undergoing some kind of counselling or therapy - and produce written documentation of his recovery.Collingwood would not comment on Cousins' potential drafting.Cousins' manager, Ricky Nixon, denied speaking to the Pies and said "there's still a lot to get through" before Cousins was able to nominate for the draft."I'm not really interested in any clubs contacting me at the moment, to be honest," Nixon said."Ben still has to get his body right and until he gets not only the football side of things, but other things back on track, then he won't be going anywhere."Cousins was set to join Port Melbourne in the VFL this week, but the Borough hierarchy put a stop to it, stating it was the "wrong time of the year" for any distractions.It is understood Cousins will instead train privately at the Lexus Centre in order to prove his fitness before the draft period.With only one round of the VFL home-and-away season remaining for Collingwood, he was unable to train with the affiliate team."We've got a finals series to think about and it doesn't matter if Ben Cousins or Kevin Rudd was coming, we have to think about our finals campaign," Port Melbourne general manager Barry Kidd said yesterday."We contacted Ben's management last week. He wanted to come down for the last two weeks of August and the first two weeks of September."Cousins' options for a return to AFL football hit a few hiccups in June with Carlton coach Brett Ratten and North Melbourne coach Dean Laidley declaring they had no interest in him. ? McGuire said on SEN that it was up to Shaw and Didak to show that they had a passion for the club and had changed their off-field behaviour. Shaw was charged with drink driving this month, and Shaw and Didak were suspended for the rest of the season after lying to club officials."I think if they can show they have a genuine love for the club, I'm not into putting rules on to people," McGuire said. "If they can come up with an idea or come to us to say that they've had a good think about it and this is how they can go forward in the manner that we need them to, if we're going to be a premiership side and also fulfil the area we need to in society and football society, then we can get on with life." Despite speculation that the pair may be traded at the end of the season, McGuire believes the situation can be worked out."I have no problems with forgiveness," he said. "I'd love to think that they'd be there next year."
© 2008 The Sunday Age
