Ben Cousins is a legend of The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame and his reputation has drawn two former AFL players into contention for Australia’s most prestigious inter-code award. Dean Polo and Luke McGuane earned their nomination after they became involved in a drunken incident in which Cousins punched teammate Daniel Connors outside a Sydney hotel in 2010.
The Frownlow Medal is awarded to the player whose off-field demeanour epitomises the values of the modern day footballer and draws attention to the status of footballers as role models to young Australians. It covers Australia’s four major football codes; the National Rugby League (NRL), Australian Football League (AFL), the A-League (Football) and Rugby Union’s Super Rugby competition. Former NRL player Shaun Kenny-Dowall won the inaugural medal in 2015 and Jarryd Hayne is the most recent recipient.
The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame honours former players and players who received media attention in previous seasons, for similarly scandalous behaviour, and its inductees include Ben Cousins and Julian O’Neill.
Polo and McGuane received a one-week suspension from Richmond for their part in the incident but of more importance is their nomination for The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame, which could see their names listed alongside some of the true greats of Australian football.
For the full list of current nominees for The Frownlow Medal and The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame, go to www.instagram.com/thefrownlowmedal/
Image: NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 