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Cousins doco ‘compelling’

By Mr Dandalooa

Such is life.

Words made famous by Australia’s most infamous outlaw are a good summary of the trials and tribulations of arguably the biggest fall from grace in AFL history.

Depicting the former West Coast star shirtless, using drugs Such is Life: The Troubled Times of Ben Cousins is an “explosive tell-all documentary” set to screen before the end of the AFL season.

Some speculate that it could be shown before the Grand Final.

That would detract from what is likely to be the most riveting tale of this decade.

The Herald Sun has reportedly obtained the first images from the doco, which is the culmination of footage over the past two years as the now Richmond veteran battled his demons and drug addiction.

AFL head honcho Andrew Demetriou and Richmond officials and staff have apparently seen the footage.

Richmond has said it would not allow Cousins to continue to play if the doco was shown while he was still a Tiger.

The 2005 Brownlow medallist hopes to extend his career next year but that remains in limbo for other reasons too, namely the new interchange rules.

The Herald Sun revealed raw and chilling footage shows Cousins prancing in his jock drinking wine while a girl is seen in the background, crying while under the influence of drugs, and staring into a camera and declaring: “My name is Ben Cousins. I’m a drug addict”.

This week, West Coast coach John Worsfold said he had no issue about the doco.

Worsfold was interviewed for the documentary but is yet to see the final product.

Cousins, who was sacked by the Eagles at the end of 2007, had his drug addiction spiral out of control while at the club.

Worsfold said he was more than comfortable to be part of the documentary and said when he was asked by Cousins to be part of it he believed it was something valuable for him to do.

“So therefore I’d be more than comfortable with however it comes back,” Worsfold said.

“I don’t have any issues with what it may or may not talk about.

“As much as it was good for Ben I would hope it has some impact in raising awareness in the dangers of illicit drugs.

“… I believe the story will be a strong story.

“There is the opportunity to see it from Ben’s side first hand.

“I honestly can’t remember all the questions [I was asked] but it was no holds barred.

“It was my view on when I believed I might have known he was using drugs, all those sorts of things.

“All I hope is that people will get something out of it and it will do some good.

“If a lot of people criticise it but some people get good out of it, then it’s going to be worthwhile.

“Any people who learn something from it is going to do some good.”

He said it didn’t matter if the Eagles camp were criticised in the film.

Richmond has released a statement responding to the publicity surrounding the documentary, with head honcho Brendon Gale saying it is a worthwhile exercise.

“This is a confronting story and one we sincerely hope has a positive impact on those that watch it,” he said.

“If what Ben and his family have been through serves as an important lesson to others, then it has been worth doing.

“As we all know, Ben was in a very dark place.

“As a recovering drug addict, we believe his time at Richmond has helped him with his rehabilitation and we will continue to support him.”

But some are saying there is only one argument for Richmond to keep Ben Cousins next season, and that is that Cousins remains one of the Tigers’ best players.

“To say otherwise is to make the mistake of judging him against himself five years ago, not the rest of the Richmond list now,” WA Today reports.

After an injury-rattled season and an incident involving an overdose of sleeping pills last month, Cousins has finally played well in recent weeks.

One would hope that the hype around the doco doesn’t detract from the rest of the season.