Former AFL star Ben Cousins believes his ‘life’s never been better’, following a years-long battle with a substance abuse problem.

The 2005 Brownlow Medallist, Cousins’ standing as one of the game’s modern greats was tarnished after drugs derailed his career, causing him to be sacked by West Coast at the end of 2007 before further off-field incidents following his retirement in 2010 after a stint at Richmond led to a 10-month prison sentence.

However, in an appearance on The Front Bar, the 45-year old, who is currently reading sports news on Channel 7 in Western Australia and is set to appear in the upcoming edition of Dancing with the Stars, looked fit and healthy as he reminisced on his playing days and touched on the drugs issues that affected him for so long.

“I wish it hadn’t had to have taken this long and had to run its course the way it did,” he said.

“But it’s nice to be working and busy, have some real ambition back, and just connected back in with friends, family, and even on a community level. Life’s never been better, to be honest.”

Cousins also paid tribute to the Tigers, who selected him in the pre-season draft at the end of 2008 after serving an AFL-mandated 12-month suspension for bringing the game into disrepute.

“It was a really tough lead-up to getting picked up, there were no guarantees it was ever going to happen,” he said.

“I was the last pick in the last draft, and I was super keen to get an opportunity to play, and it came about at the death knock.

“I was just rapt to be playing footy… I don’t like Richmond, I love Richmond. I will forever stay connected to the group and the footy club because they played such an important part in my life, which far exceeds football.”

Pies loom as frontrunner for injured Dogs star

Collingwood have emerged as a leading candidate for Western Bulldogs star Bailey Smith, with the midfielder’s contract set to expire at the end of 2024.

Smith, who is currently on the comeback trail after tearing his ACL during the pre-season, has been offered a two-year deal to remain with the Bulldogs, but is widely expected to head elsewhere at the conclusion of the season.

As reported on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle, the Magpies are officially the frontrunners to secure his signature, ahead of Geelong and Hawthorn, with Smith forging a close friendship in recent years with Nick and Josh Daicos.

“We’ve all been thinking Geelong for probably 12 months, they share that sponsorship with Cotton On, we know Hawthorn would love him in their midfield as well,” News Corp journalist Sam Landsberger said.

“But I think it’s the Magpies who lead the race for Bailey, who we all accept has one foot out the door at Whitten Oval.”

Adding further interest to the story, Landsberger reported that the Magpies have been instructed by the club to refrain from posting any photos with Smith.

“I can tell you tonight that Collingwood has told their players, no more photos with Bailey. This is getting out of hand. They sent the message out to players, no more publicity with Bailey Smith,” Landsberger said.

“They’re going to the next level, they have got serious, progressed and now it’s like ‘boys, just don’t give too much away!’” fellow panellist Scott Gullan replied.

With 334,000 followers, Smith is the most-followed AFL player on Instagram, with his star rising after a superb 2021 finals series to help lead the Bulldogs into that year’s grand final.

However, he has struggled with form and injuries since midway through 2022.