Ben Cousins documentary shows the footballer is not ready to get better
He was once celebrated as the nation’s AFL hero, but watching Ben Cousins in his latest interview was difficult and sad. He is clearly not ready to get better, writes Megan Hustwaite.
Rendezview
Don't miss out on the headlines from Rendezview. Followed categories will be added to My News.
It’s been a decade between documentaries and little has changed for fallen AFL star Ben Cousins who is still in a world of self-inflicted pain and lacks a genuine desperation and desire to turn his life around.
Sunday night’s 90-minute 7 News special, which drew 791,000 viewers nationally, was called Ben Cousins: Coming Clean but didn’t ring true in any way.
Cousins for the most, evaded interviewer, Perth broadcaster Basil Zempilas’ questions like he once wove through midfield opponents, and was at times erratic and aggressive but what was most striking was the 41-year-old’s lack of accountability for his actions and willingness to fight to get his life together for his and his family’s sake.
It was difficult and sad to watch.
Since Cousins appeared in and co-produced the 2010 doco Such is Life, he has had several stints in jail, and was released last August after serving eight months for breaching a restraining order taken out by the mother of his children.
Today, he sports a scraggy ponytail and bushy beard with a sprinkling of grey hairs, a shadow of the champion athlete he once was. At the peak of his powers, Cousins was a supremely talented footballer, gorgeous, fit and oozed charm and charisma.
For a moment on Sunday the father of two regained a tiny glimpse of that sparkle which used to fill his eyes. Briefly, Cousins’ eyes looked a little clearer – he lit up when speaking about son, Bobby, and daughter, Angelique.
Footage showed eight-year-old Bobby watching You Tube highlights of his father’s 270-game career on an iPad, recognising the West Coast Eagles famous #9 proudly as “My Daddy.” Cousins smiled when recalling visits to see his little girl.
“I’d love to be living the traditional family life, but I’m not,’’ he said.
That’s entirely Cousins’ doing.
He harassed, stalked and threatened former partner Tinecheff, in what Magistrate Richard Huston described in 2017, when Cousins was first jailed, as ‘nine months of terror.’
One of the only snippets of new information in Coming Clean was that Cousins’ relationship with father Bryan is sadly now fractured.
Cousins was briefly reunited on screen with his West Coast premiership coach John Worsfold for the first time in 10 years.
“If Ben sets his mind to something, I know he has the ability to get there. And it’s going to take commitment, but so was having a good AFL footy career,’’ Worsfold said.
He added that he found Cousins to be retrospective in their meeting.
“Where he wants to go won’t be easy. It might have been 15 years ago, he had the world at his feet.”
The little Cousins did have to say was dotted through a lot of old footage from Such is Life while new overlay of him looking down the camera and randomly shadow boxing at a beach was matched with soundtracks from AC/DC’s Highway To Hell, Coldplay, Whitney Houston and Silverchair. Having a hit of tennis with Fremantle’s dual Brownlow Medallist Nat Fyfe, a chit chat with West Coast star Nic Naitanui and an unlikely pen pal relationship with Home And Away actor Lynne McGranger added nothing but confusion to the overall telling of this sad tale.
Australians love a comeback story, none more so than when it involves a sporting hero. But like our current sport season in this COVID-19 climate, Aussies can’t barrack for something that’s not happening.
Cousins has to want to get on the straight and narrow for himself.
He displayed drive and determination, discipline and commitment during his AFL career as a premiership player, Brownlow Medallist and six-time All-Australian and will need all of that and more in spades if he is to overcome his hardships.
Not for the first time, Cousins needs to act on the advice of his old footy coach.
He can turn his life around, but only if he wants to.
Megan Hustwaite is a columnist for RendezView.com.au