Swans Rule Out Plan To Take Cousins, But O'keefe Stays On The Radar
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday October 17, 2008
SYDNEY say they are not among the clubs reportedly lobbying the AFL to have former West Coast star Ben Cousins reinstated and will not consider recruiting the recovering drug addict should he be available in the pre-season draft.
Cousins has spent some time in Sydney since he was deregistered by the AFL, and the Swans, with their strict behavioural code, were seen by some as a good fit for the brilliant midfielder as he attempts to resurrect his career.But Swans chief executive Myles Baron-Hay said yesterday that the Swans were not interested in recruiting Cousins. "If there is a race on [for Cousins's] services, we are not in it," he said.Cousins's manager, Ricky Nixon, said this week St Kilda, Collingwood and one non-Victoria club were interested in recruiting the 30-year-old and that one those three clubs, which he did not identify, had developed a plan it hoped to present to the AFL Commission detailing how it could support Cousins through his rehabilitation.However, Baron-Hay said the Swans were not the non-Victorian club and had no such strategy. Brisbane and Port Adelaide are other clubs that have expressed some interest in recruiting Cousins since it became apparent he would attempt to revive his career.Meanwhile, Swans midfielder Ryan O'Keefe said he expected to announce whether he would return to the club or try to find a new home through the pre-season draft next week.Speaking on Melbourne radio yesterday, O'Keefe said he was still weighing up the difficulties of getting to his favoured destinations - Essendon or Carlton - in the pre-season draft against the risk of being taken by another club (Melbourne, West Coast, Fremantle or Port Adelaide) with an earlier pick."That's probably one thing I have to go through - I'm not so certain I'll be able to get through [the draft] so that's something we have to weigh up," he said.O'Keefe asked to be traded by the Swans after being disappointed with the terms of a new three-year contract. It is believed the Swans have since offered a revised deal worth up to $475,000 over three years.O'Keefe was offered bigger deals by at least two clubs after the Herald revealed he had walked out on the Swans. However, having told O'Keefe they were eager to win his signature, none of those clubs offered the Swans meaningful deals during the official trading period, clearly hoping they could get the talented forward for nothing in the pre-season draft.That has left O'Keefe with the choice of either running the draft gauntlet or leaving the Swans empty-handed - a prospect he admitted could influence him."It's something where we tried to get done through a trade so that Sydney actually got something for me," he said. "So if I was to walk out on Sydney and them not get anything for me, then that's probably something I would feel a little bit bad about."O'Keefe said he had spoken to coach Paul Roos, and the playing group would have no issues if he returned to the fold. "I've got a lot of really good mates there, and I've spoken to them and they are really supportive," he said. In Melbourne, Hawthorn veteran Shane Crawford, who took 16 seasons and 305 games to reach his first AFL grand final, has decided to continue playing.While the club and Crawford are yet to agree to the exact terms of the deal, the Hawks said the four-time best and fairest winner and 1999 Brownlow medallist had committed to continuing his career. Crawford, 34, had been weighing up his options after being restricted to 14 games this season because of a nagging knee injury. But he played a key part in the Hawks' three finals, picking up 20-plus possessions in each game and was among the team's best in the grand final victory.
© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald