Talkin Sport - Ben Cousins To Return to Training with West Coast Eagles

The AFL today met with Ben Cousins, the West Coast Eagles and the AFLPA to endorse the conditions for the player to resume training with the club.

AFL Chief Executive Officer Andrew Demetriou said the meeting had agreed on the conditions the club had put to Cousins to allow him to return to training next week.

Cousins had been indefinitely suspended from the West Coast Eagles since March, and he will now resume training next Monday, July 2.

Mr Demetriou said the meeting was attended by senior members of the AFL Executive, including Football Operations Manager Adrian Anderson, Cousins, West Coast CEO Trevor Nisbett and AFLPA Chief Executive Brendon Gale.

"The discussions with Ben very productive and we believe Ben has now passed another hurdle on the way to regaining full health," Mr Demetriou said.

"He will now resume training with a view to then playing at a later date."

Mr Demetriou said the next step in the process would now be that Cousins would meet with the AFL Medical Commissioners to confirm that he is mentally and physically ready to play.

"We have said all along the AFL Medical Commissioners and an independent medical assessment will have the final say in determining Ben's return to playing, whenever that date is, now that he is ready to resume training with the club," he said.

Mr Demetriou said the principal conditions of Cousins' return to the club, which has not been set, would be detailed by the West Coast Eagles next week, upon his return to training with the club.