The football and the damage done

WHAT’S not to like about football hero Ben Cousins?
He’s athletic, charismatic and if nothing else easy on the eye.
But the majority of the Australian public would agree that there is more to Ben Cousins than just a footy player.
His fight with drugs was a public one. Dabbling in his younger years, the problem soon became an epic and public battle.
Cousins was kicked out of the Australian Football League for bringing the game into disrepute and his life spiralled out of control.
But how does someone with so much talent, personality and such a supportive and loving family find himself in such a dark place?
Readers would hope his life story would give some insight into a man who seemed to have the world at his feet, soon to be shunned from the only world he knew – football.
Before picking up this book, you must be warned – football, in fact Aussie rules is an ongoing theme.
Entangled in his drug binges, football was and is the only reason he survived – along with his strong relationship with his old man.
If you do not like or understand football, this book isn’t for you.
For a footballer, Cousins is articulate and it is surprising how the book draws you in.
He reminisces about high school football like it was yesterday and focuses on the friendships he made – some that lasted a long time.
He explains his relationships with shady underworld characters and makes no apologies for enjoying their company.
Known for his cheeky grin, which some take as Cousins being cocky, the book goes out of its way to explain that it is really a way of hiding his shy nature.
It highlights his inferiority complex when it came to girls, hard to believe now, after numerous knock-backs in his younger years.
Like the documentary, Cousins’ book gives an insight into the man behind the façade, someone facing his demons and trying to make it up to the family who were there every step of the way during his rehabilitation.
A worthy read, if you like football.
– Melissa Meehan