Ben Cousins
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Ben Cousins (born 30 June 1978) is an Australian rules footballer for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League from 1996-current.
Cousins was drafted in 1995 by the West Coast Eagles under the father-son rule, as his father Bryan (a star player himself in the local West Australian Football League competition) had played 67 games for the Geelong Football Club in the then-VFL. This clause allowed him to choose between the Geelong Cats, the newly formed Fremantle Dockers and the West Coast Eagles. The prospect of remaining in his hometown of Perth led Cousins to opt to play for the Eagles.
Cousins made his debut in the AFL in 1996 at the age of 17 - ironically against Geelong - and won the AFL's Rising Star award in his first season. Cousins has developed into one of the leading players in the league, winning four West Coast Best and Fairest Awards (2001, 2002, 2003 & 2005) and being selected in five All Australian Teams (1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2005). Cousins played for Australia in the 1999 International Rules series in Australia. In 2005, he became the second West Coast player to receive the Brownlow Medal, and also the first West Coast player to win the Leigh Matthews Trophy, thereby sweeping the two major individual honours in the AFL.
Ben Cousins was the captain of West Coast from 2001 until 2005, and played his 200th AFL game during the 2005 season. Cousins was a dominant player in the 2005 season, leading most AFL media awards for best player as the Eagles secured a second place finish in the regular season. The season culminated in him winning the 2005 Brownlow Medal by one vote from teammate Daniel Kerr (who is also the current boyfriend of Cousins' younger sister Melanie), and captaining West Coast in the 2005 AFL Grand Final where the team lost to the Sydney Swans by four points.
Controversies
Cousins' football career has been offset by several high-profile off field incidents.Known for his association with convicted criminals [link], Cousins was put under public scrutiny in May 2005 following his refusal to speak with police investigating a nightclub shooting.
On February 12 2006 he avoided a booze bus by abandoning his car in the middle of a major highway, and running from police as they ordered him to stop. His role as captain of the Eagles was quickly put in doubt following the incident, and on February 20 he read out a statement in front of media at Subiaco Oval announcing his resignation as captain. [link]. He was charged on summons on February 27, 2006 with one count of obstructing traffic and one count of obstructing police. He will face the Perth Magistrates Court on March 21.[link] [link]
External links
- [Eagles player profile]
- [Eagles pair face police questions] Real Footy May 5, 2005
- [Ben Cousins on 200 games]
- [Analysis of Bens Game style]
- [Ben cousins impact in games]
- [Average attributes show by ben: courage, stamina and work ethic]
See also
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