Latest on Ben Cousins 2012

[heater31]

If you think drug use was limited to West Coast during that time you are sadly mistaken.

It was also prevalent for AFL teams closer to home.

ZC - do you mean closer to home as in a Club within S.A. - if so it doesn't surprise me at all.

Yes.

Some very high profile players involved as well....

[Zelezny Chucks]

If you think drug use was limited to West Coast during that time you are sadly mistaken.

It was also prevalent for AFL teams closer to home.

ZC - do you mean closer to home as in a Club within S.A. - if so it doesn't surprise me at all.

Yes.

Some very high profile players involved as well....

Don't think it's necessary to go into that sort of detail, was just trying to make a point that the Eagles shouldn't be cast as the only team to have this happening they were just the only team to have it all made public.

IIRC an SANFL team was involved in similar allegations around the same time.

[whufc]

May have cracked down now as a few blokes have retired but in the early to mid 2000's the drug culture in the SA AFL teams was extremly strong and filtered down through to the SANFL clubs.

You only had to spend a few Saturdays at the Rise Nightclub to know what im on about.

[Booney]

Steven Bradbury on thin ice over bad crack at West Coast function
by: Courtney Walsh From: The Australian March 15, 2012 12:00AM Increase Text Size Decrease Text Size Print Email Share Add to Digg Add to del.icio.us Add to Facebook Add to Kwoff Add to Myspace Add to Newsvine What are these? WHILE West Coast yesterday launched this year's campaign for glory with the slogan "We're inspired", the troubles of its most recent premiership still linger.

The Eagles, who on Saturday play Adelaide in the final of the pre-season NAB Cup, were given a jolting reminder of the controversy that tainted their 2006 premiership when guest speaker Steven Bradbury uttered a tasteless joke about fallen star Ben Cousins.

In an address to a room full of West Coast players, officials and sponsors, the 2002 Winter Olympics gold medallist was detailing the amount of time he had spent training before his freakish success - all his rivals fell in the 1000m speed skating final - when he quipped about Cousins, who is reportedly in poor health in his battle with drug abuse.

Bradbury reputedly stunned the crowd when he said:

"The only person who would have spent more time on the ice than me was Ben Cousins."
The 2005 Brownlow medallist was sacked by the Eagles in 2007 when the extent of his drug abuse became apparent and later deregistered by the league before making a comeback with Richmond.

In recent weeks, the home of another premiership star, Adam Hunter, was raided, with police finding drug paraphernalia.

West Coast coach John Worsfold, who was in the crowd when Bradbury made the joke, said jokes about other people's misfortune were an unfortunate part of life.

"Some people will joke about things, others will not talk about things. I'll leave it up to individuals to make their call," Worsfold said.

"Nothing has changed in terms of me hoping the best for Ben and the fact that people joke about it doesn't make any difference to the challenges ahead."

Meanwhile, the Eagles advertising theme for the season rings as hollow as the Bradbury joke when it comes to a victory-at-all-costs approach to the NAB Cup final against the Crows at AAMI Stadium.

Beaten preliminary finalists last year after claiming the wooden spoon in 2010, the Eagles are desperate to claim a second premiership this year from the champion but ageing core including Dean Cox, Daniel Kerr and captain Darren Glass that featured in the 2006 triumph.

Worsfold, however, stressed "no risks" will be taken for the pre-season grand final, despite it being the first silverware West Coast has played for since the victory over Sydney.

While Worsfold senses some excitement from his players about Saturday's final - a day earlier, Nic Naitanui stressed his desire for success at an AFL cultural launch - and the victor claims $180,000, it is effectively being treated as a fourth practice match by the Eagles.

For example, even if the title is on the line in the last quarter on Saturday night, the veteran Cox will come from the ground if that is what is best for West Coast come its opening match of the regular season against the Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium, Worsfold said.