And the Brownlow medallist's impact on Richmond in his first season at Punt Road has been immense, according to caretaker coach Jade Rawlings.
"There are some people that have been involved in this club for 12, 13, 14 years that reckon what he's offered the club has been as profound as anyone," Rawlings said from Perth.
"His contribution to this footy club this year has been absolutely terrific.
"I rate Ben extremely highly. I've coached him over 11 games now, and my personal dealings with him have been absolutely terrific."
Cousins drew a crowd at Richmond training on Thursday afternoon as he prepared to face his old club West Coast in Perth for the first time on Friday night.
Richmond and West Coast supporters turned out at Perth's Lathlain Park to cheer on the Brownlow Medallist and he drew a familiar media pack, too.
Cousins has had two dress rehearsals this season, returning to Subiaco Oval for the first time in round 10 to face Fremantle and doing battle with the Eagles at Etihad Stadium a fortnight later.
Rawlings said the hype surrounding Cousins' homecoming wouldn't get the better of him.
"He's an absolute professional, Ben. All of the peripheral stuff and pressure that comes with playing over here in front of his old team, it won't worry him one little bit," he said.
"He's got a bit of a spring in his step so that means he's keen to play tomorrow night.
"They love him over here."
Earlier this week Hardwick spoke about making tough decisions with Richmond's list and many of the club's senior players could come under that scrutiny.
Rawlings said leadership was one of the key attributes Cousins had brought to the club, adding that it had become more evident as the season unfolded.
"He's been excellent in that area, without having an official title as such," Rawlings said. "We sort of want to hear more from him – he offers so much.
"They (the players) love playing with him and it's more normal now. When he walked through the doors there was a bit of a rock star image and [we] were a bit overawed."
