Ben Cousins drags Polo and McGuane into the spotlight.

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

Michael Gardiner emerges from the underworld.

Former AFL player Michael Gardiner has surfaced from the underworld in order to accept his nomination for The Fronwlow Medal Hall of Fame. Gardiner has been nominated for numerous incidents, including involvement with a group of alleged underworld figures from Perth.

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. NRL player Shaun Kenny-Dowall won the inaugural medal in 2015, while NRL star Jarryd Hayne is the most recent recipient.

Gardiner was criticised in 2005 for an association with a group of alleged underworld figures in Perth, alongside the human disaster and fellow West Coast player Cousins. The teammates allegedly received phone calls from gangland figures before and after a stabbing at a Perth nightclub, and refused to cooperate with police during the investigation.

The Eagles told Gardiner and Cousins they were on their last warning, but as The Fronwlow Medal has proven, a last warning in professional football is rarely a last warning. The pair were warned that their off-field behaviour would not be tolerated, but Gardiner stayed at the Eagles in 2006, when he was dropped to club football for his involvement in a booze bus incident alongside…Cousins.

Not sacked, just dropped.

Later in 2006, Gardiner had his contract suspended indefinitely, but not terminated, after a drunken traffic accident which earned him only a $5000 fine and a warning from club bosses that they were highly unlikely to renew his contract at the end of the year.

Gardiner was also praised as a mentor to Dustin Martin, who has received numerous Fronwlow nominations, one of which involved trying to stab a woman in the eye with chopsticks. Martin once called Gardiner a ‘Great Man’.

After accepting the nomination, Gardiner returned to the underworld alongside Cousins.

Image: NuNa

Sneak peak at Ben Cousins’ new TV role.

Controversial AFL player Ben Cousins will soon appear on TV to provide a weekly update on the contenders for The Fronwlow Medal and The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame in 2022.

Cousins will use his guest role on Channel 7 Perth to reveal the details of the latest scandals which have earned footballers nominations for Frownlow honours, and to recount the incidents which place him among the Frownlow immortals.

The West Coast Eagles legend will assess the behaviour of players who could join him in The Fronwlow Medal Hall of Fame this year, including Darius Boyd, Andrew Lovett and Nathan Daly, as well as Brett Finch, Curtis Scott, Blake Ferguson and Sam Burgess.

He will also run his expert eye over the contenders for The Frownlow Medal, such as Anthony Milford, Tui Kamikamica, Rhys Nicholls, Zane Musgrove, Tristan Sailor and Manase Fainu.

Cousins is virtually a permanent nominee for The Fronwlow Medal Hall of Fame because he manages to involve himself in self-inflicted controversies every year. He has been in and out of prison and in and out of rehab for substance abuse, and was once accused of breaching a violence restraining order taken out by his former partner.

As recently as April 2021, he was caught and fined $1500 for possession of methamphetamine. This is why his segment will also include advice to young Aussies on how to earn a nomination for Australia’s greatest sporting prize.

Cousins will also provide updates on which disgraced footballer is appearing on which upcoming reality TV show, and will recount the scandal which landed them in trouble.

Image: Getty Images