Cousins has hit a rich vein of form that has mirrored his side’s in recent weeks, prompting calls for the 31-year-old to carry on for at least one more season.
But Hardwick said no decision would be made on Cousins’ future until the 2010 season is over.
“That ball’s entirely in Ben’s court. His last three to four weeks have been very, very good. He was probably pretty slow at the start, I reckon his first five or six rounds weren’t great but he did have an interrupted pre-season so we’ll make a decision towards the end of the year,” Hardwick said.
“That will be a list management decision but he is doing all he can to propel himself forward.”
The Tigers have won three of their past four games which their coach says is the result of having inner-belief.
“After the Hawthorn game our guys found a standard they were really happy with and they built on that. It’s amazing, belief in a footy club is such an important factor and confidence within a player is even more so,” he said.
“Our group at the moment is going well, we’ve still got a fair way to go but we’ve made some inroads, no doubt.”
Hardwick says there was no reason the Tigers had to spend a few more years at the bottom of the ladder before their re-emergence, pointing to the rapid rise of Fremantle as an example to aspire to.
“You’ve only got to look at Fremantle. Their personnel over the course of 12 months didn’t change that much but all of a sudden they’ve become a top four side,” he said.
“The belief in winning games and the momentum of winning games certainly propels you forward at a rapid rate.”
