How Nick Riewoldt was left ‘sad’ and ‘concerned’ after a chance hotel meeting with Ben Cousins

WHEN former Saints champ Nick Riewoldt bumped into Ben Cousins in a Perth hotel foyer recently, he was shocked by the fallen star’s “irrational” behaviour and left deeply concerned for Cousins’ welfare.

Riewoldt and Cousins meet on the field during the former Eagle’s Richmond days.

EX-St Kilda star Nick Riewoldt has revealed he was left “concerned” and “sad” for Brownlow Medallist Ben Cousins after a chance hotel meeting in Perth around the time of the recent western derby.

Riewoldt was shocked when Cousins called his name in the hotel foyer.

“(I was) staying at the hotel and walked into the foyer and heard a voice and I recognised it was Ben (Cousins),” Riewoldt said on AFL360.

COUSINS: NEW DRUG, FAMILY VIOLENCE ALLEGATIONS

“He was pretty close to coming to the Saints at one stage so we’d had conversations and through dealings as AFL captains and the captains’ days.

“I went and sat with Ben and we had a conversation, we spoke for a long time … just on the couch in the foyer so it wasn't necessarily all that private, people were walking past and recognising Ben.”

Former Eagles captain and premiership hero Cousins was on Wednesday denied bail in a Perth court over new drug and family violence charges.

Ben Cousins and Nick Riewoldt in their playing days in 2003.

Riewoldt said his conversation with Cousins — which lasted for more than an hour — was “bizarre”.

“It was bizarre, really, because I could still see that charismatic kind person that we’ve all experienced,” Riewoldt said.

“I could see that in small glimpses, but at his core, he seemed incredibly clouded and almost irrational at times.

“I just walked away from that experience feeling really sad about the situation he was in at that moment and really concerned.

“I didn’t want to walk away, I didn’t want to leave the conversation, because I was concerned for him and for his future.”

Riewoldt said he did not believe Cousins was on drugs when the pair spoke, but “it was clear that he was not the same person” he once was.

Riewoldt and Cousins chat after a Richmond v St Kilda match.

He said he wasn’t surprised to hear of Cousins’ latest run-in with the law, saying he felt sad for the fallen Eagles’ family.

“I don’t think there’s been any winners in that situation,” he said.

“It’s an incredibly sad, cautionary tale and the families are the ones that ride it the hardest.

“I guess we’re all thinking of them at the moment — he’s got kids too, it’s just so sad.”

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