Cousins primed for AFL comeback

Richmond are confident Ben Cousins is mentally and physically prepared to make his
AFL comeback in front of a sellout crowd in Thursday night's MCG blockbuster.
Coach Terry Wallace promised Cousins will start on the ground against Carlton, in
what will be his first AFL match for 18 months, after being sacked by West Coast and
suspended by the league.
The largest crowd for any opening round match in AFL history is expected, mainly due
to the anticipation over the 30-year-old's return and the fact he will come up
against his former Eagles premiership captain Chris Judd.
Wallace said the Tigers, who have not played finals since 2001, had some recent
experiences to call on to give them a sense of the atmosphere they can expect.
They played in front of a crowd of close to 90,000 in the farewell match for
Essendon legends James Hird and Kevin Sheedy in 2007, while last year's
season-opener was also a blockbuster as Judd made his Carlton debut.
But Wallace said the spotlight this time was bigger.
"We've expected the massive build-up and it hasn't let us down from that aspect," he
said.
"We're just hoping that both sides put on a great display for the people.
"It's wonderful to see the people of Victoria come out and support what's just a
fantastic game and I'm really looking forward to it, the guys are just wanting to
get out and play now."
The huge interest prompted broadcasters, the Ten Network, to bow to public pressure
and screen the match live in Victoria after having said as late as Thursday morning
they would delay the telecast.
Wallace said the star attraction was ready.
"He's ready for the challenges that AFL footy brings," he said.
"As we all know it's a 22-round affair and Juddy had the same situation last year
and performed well in the game and went on to do a great job for his club last year.
"It's Ben's turn to go through that same process this season."
He said he would not put any pressure on the former Brownlow Medallist to be an
immediate match-winner, particularly given his time out of the game, but his
pre-season build-up had been good.
"I expect him to get out and have a real crack as you'd expect from any other of
your players," Wallace said.
"He's prepared and prepared well for the game.
"I certainly thought he was better in NAB (Cup round) four than NAB two, so he's
just built up along the way.
"He'll just be like any other player, trying to put his best foot forward and we'll
see what happens on the night."
Remarkably, Cousins will be one of seven players on the night who will be making
either their club or AFL debuts.
The Blues named four players to make their AFL debuts - Mitch Robinson, Sam Jacobs,
Aaron Joseph and Jeffrey Garlett - while ex-Melbourne player Chris Johnson will
represent Carlton for the first time.
The Tigers will have 18-year-old ruckman Andrew Browne making his AFL debut.
Carlton also guaranteed spearhead Brendan Fevola will play, despite a bruised heel,
while experienced running player Heath Scotland was named despite a restricted
pre-season.
Carlton assistant coach Mark Riley said he had been "blown away" by the hype
surrounding the match.
"It's good that Ben is recovering from his illness and that football as a vehicle is
helping him do that," Riley said.
"We'll be looking forward to seeing him out on the park tomorrow night.
"I hope he doesn't go too well."