Ben Cousins
West Coast and Richmond · “Cuz”
AFL career
270 games217 goals
- Debut
- R4 1996 v GEE21 Apr 1996
- Most recent
- R22 2010 v PAD29 Aug 2010
Stats
2010 | RCH | 17 | 9.2 | 12.9 | 22.1 | 4.0 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 80 | 82 |
2009 | RCH | 15 | 10.3 | 13.6 | 23.9 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 3.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 80 | 91 |
2007 | WCE | 7 | 12.9 | 12.1 | 25.0 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 83 | 94 |
2006 | WCE | 22 | 14.2 | 11.0 | 25.1 | 4.9 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 92 | - |
2005 | WCE | 24 | 16.3 | 9.2 | 25.5 | 6.1 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 96 | - |
2004 | WCE | 17 | 11.9 | 9.8 | 21.7 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 76 | - |
2003 | WCE | 23 | 12.8 | 9.8 | 22.6 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 79 | - |
2002 | WCE | 23 | 14.2 | 10.0 | 24.2 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 84 | - |
2001 | WCE | 22 | 15.2 | 12.0 | 27.3 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 88 | - |
2000 | WCE | 17 | 15.4 | 10.0 | 25.4 | 3.9 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 89 | - |
1999 | WCE | 22 | 14.1 | 9.3 | 23.4 | 3.4 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 79 | - |
1998 | WCE | 23 | 12.8 | 8.5 | 21.3 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 74 | - |
1997 | WCE | 18 | 8.3 | 6.3 | 14.6 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 57 | - |
1996 | WCE | 20 | 8.5 | 5.3 | 13.8 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 59 | - |
PAD | ES | R22 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.0 | 81 | 68 |
STK | ES | R21 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 76 | 67 |
CAR | MCG | R20 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 88 | 111 |
MEL | MCG | R19 | 16 | 10 | 26 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2.0 | 110 | 80 |
ADE | MCG | R18 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1.0 | 75 | 81 |
COL | MCG | R17 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1.1 | 87 | 75 |
NTH | MCG | R16 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0.0 | 89 | 110 |
SYD | MCG | R14 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 60 | 66 |
BRL | Gabba | R13 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1.1 | 95 | 107 |
WCE | MCG | R12 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 61 | 66 |
STK | ES | R11 | 5 | 19 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.0 | 78 | 104 |
PAD | AAMI | R10 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0.1 | 98 | 110 |
ESS | MCG | R9 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.2 | 62 | 50 |
GEE | SS | R6 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.0 | 90 | 62 |
FRE | SUB | R5 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 73 | 88 |
SYD | SCG | R3 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.0 | 64 | 72 |
CAR | MCG | R1 | 13 | 6 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 | 65 | 70 |
Bio
Eligible to join Geelong as a father-son recruit via his father Bryan, Ben Cousins opted to remain in Western Australia and joined West Coast, where he rapidly developed into one of the most dominant midfielders of his generation. Possessing an elite tank and a relentless work rate, Cousins defined the gut-running style of the modern on-baller, often breaking taggers through sheer aerobic capacity while regularly drifting forward to hit the scoreboard. His time at the Eagles was laden with accolades, including the 1996 Rising Star, the 2005 Brownlow Medal, four club champion awards, and a central role in the club's 2006 premiership triumph.
His tenure at West Coast ended abruptly in late 2007 when he was sacked following well-documented substance abuse issues and a series of off-field controversies. After serving a 12-month suspension imposed by the AFL, Cousins was handed a lifeline by Richmond in the pre-season draft. He spent his final two seasons at Punt Road, where he provided experienced leadership to a developing list despite battling persistent hamstring injuries. While his career ended away from the club he defined, Cousins remains recognised as one of the most gifted and influential footballers of the 2000s, with a legacy complicated by the troubles that curtailed his prime.
Profile
- Born
- 30 June 1978 (age 48y 113d)
- Birthplace
- Geelong, VIC
- Height
- 179 cm
- Weight
- 78 kg
Teams
Honours
- Premiership2006
- Brownlow Medal2005
- Top 10
- 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006
- All-Australian(6×) 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006
- Leigh Matthews Trophy2005
- Rising Star Award1996
- West Coast B&F(4×) 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005
- 2nd
- 1998
- 3rd
- 1999, 2006
- Top 10
- 2000, 2004
- West Coast captain(5×) 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
Family
- Father:Bryan Cousins
Bio
1 revisionEligible to join Geelong as a father-son recruit via his father Bryan, Ben Cousins opted to remain in Western Australia and joined West Coast, where he rapidly developed into one of the most dominant midfielders of his generation. Possessing an elite tank and a relentless work rate, Cousins defined the gut-running style of the modern on-baller, often breaking taggers through sheer aerobic capacity while regularly drifting forward to hit the scoreboard. His time at the Eagles was laden with accolades, including the 1996 Rising Star, the 2005 Brownlow Medal, four club champion awards, and a central role in the club's 2006 premiership triumph.
His tenure at West Coast ended abruptly in late 2007 when he was sacked following well-documented substance abuse issues and a series of off-field controversies. After serving a 12-month suspension imposed by the AFL, Cousins was handed a lifeline by Richmond in the pre-season draft. He spent his final two seasons at Punt Road, where he provided experienced leadership to a developing list despite battling persistent hamstring injuries. While his career ended away from the club he defined, Cousins remains recognised as one of the most gifted and influential footballers of the 2000s, with a legacy complicated by the troubles that curtailed his prime.