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CibbuanoCousins won't be an Eagle: Nisbett
November 15th 2008 22:14
BEN Cousins will not play at the West Coast Eagles again according to club chief executive Trevor Nisbett.
Cousins was delisted by the Eagles at the end of the 2007 season but there has been constant speculation that the 2005 Brownlow medallist would rejoin his former club if he is given the all-clear by the AFL commission next week.
Former Eagles chairman Murray McHenry has written letters to the who wrote letters to the AFL, Nisbett, Cousins and others at West Coast expressing his wish for Cousins to play with West Coast in 2009 but Nisbett said there is no chance that the the 30-year-old will wear a West Coast jumper again.
"We rate Murray very highly. He's a former chairman and friend of ours, but the board has made its decision and the club is standing firm on the decision regarding Ben," Nisbett said.
"The door is shut and we made that decision 12 months ago. While there's a lot of emotion regarding the decision, we are steadfast in it and I have reiterated it to all our members. As much as the emotion swells from time to time, the decision has been made in the best interests of the club. The decision will stand."
While the Eagles have shut the door on a Cousins return, Nisbett said the club hoped he got another start to his AFL career.
"There are a lot of people who are indebted to Ben and what he's done to our football club. He will always be a champion of this club and all we have been concerned about is his ability to get fit and well. If he wants to play football we are fully supportive of that but it won't be at the West Coast Eagles," he said.
"We have made that decision based on all the information available and we have moved on. Hopefully we see him play football again but there's a lot of water to go under the bridge yet. The AFL still has to make a decision and the next step would be to see which clubs would and would not be interested."
"We wish him well and want to support him in everything he does, and are hopeful he gets a positive reaction from the commission in the coming days."
Cousins was delisted by the Eagles at the end of the 2007 season but there has been constant speculation that the 2005 Brownlow medallist would rejoin his former club if he is given the all-clear by the AFL commission next week.
Former Eagles chairman Murray McHenry has written letters to the who wrote letters to the AFL, Nisbett, Cousins and others at West Coast expressing his wish for Cousins to play with West Coast in 2009 but Nisbett said there is no chance that the the 30-year-old will wear a West Coast jumper again.
"We rate Murray very highly. He's a former chairman and friend of ours, but the board has made its decision and the club is standing firm on the decision regarding Ben," Nisbett said.
"The door is shut and we made that decision 12 months ago. While there's a lot of emotion regarding the decision, we are steadfast in it and I have reiterated it to all our members. As much as the emotion swells from time to time, the decision has been made in the best interests of the club. The decision will stand."
While the Eagles have shut the door on a Cousins return, Nisbett said the club hoped he got another start to his AFL career.
"There are a lot of people who are indebted to Ben and what he's done to our football club. He will always be a champion of this club and all we have been concerned about is his ability to get fit and well. If he wants to play football we are fully supportive of that but it won't be at the West Coast Eagles," he said.
"We have made that decision based on all the information available and we have moved on. Hopefully we see him play football again but there's a lot of water to go under the bridge yet. The AFL still has to make a decision and the next step would be to see which clubs would and would not be interested."
"We wish him well and want to support him in everything he does, and are hopeful he gets a positive reaction from the commission in the coming days."
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