The Soaring

Well it seems things have descended into new territory in the on-going dramas of recent West Coast Eagles pre-seasons. No longer is it another stupid or petty incident, it’s much more serious than that.

As fan your initial reaction is to the immediate loss of one of the team’s greatest ever players and the effect that will have on the field. But the real issue is for Cousins, the person, and what is really going on in his life.

It seems that historically off-field issues have not generally affected Cousins’ on field performance, until now. We can only speculate what the “personal and private” issues are that are affecting Ben’s life, but in recent times we’ve seen players careers affected by relational problems, mental health concerns as well as the other indiscretions well documented in recent times.

This is a real blow to our club. Make no mistake about it. There are now reports of more internal fighting amongst players at the club. Even though we’re still 10 days out from round 1, there is nothing positive about any of this.

How well we bounce back will be a measure of the internal fortitude and strength that is possessed by the club’s leadership. I’ve been impressed by the strong and forthright leadership of chairman Dalton Gooding in the past few weeks. Rather than leave the issues with the coach, who’s real interests lie on-field, Gooding has taken the bull by the horns and done so with a disarming and straight forward demeanour. Credit to him.

It’s this sort of strength and leadership we will need if we’re to continue to have ultimate success in the AFL this season.