Former AFL star Ben Cousins has had his sentencing delayed by a day, with his lawyer telling a drug court magistrate he was "happy and willing" to go into residential rehabilitation.
The 38-year-old smiled at his parents in the public seating area as he appeared in Perth Drug Court on Monday after pleading guilty to a string of offences a week ago.
His lawyer, Michael Tudori, said he was still seeking a sentence that would enable Cousins to attend a residential rehabilitation program, claiming it had taken a long time for his client to acknowledge his addiction, but that he finally had.
Cousins appeared calm as he sat in the dock during the proceedings, compared to previous appearances where, at times, he appeared agitated.
His sentencing was delayed until Tuesday due to some confusion about whether or not his case should be heard in the drug court or general court. It will now be heard in Perth Magistrates Court.
The Brownlow Medallist pleaded guilty in Armadale Magistrates Court on March 20 to 11 offences, including aggravated stalking, several breaches of a violence restraining order and drug possession.
His lawyer Michael Tudori at the time said a rare opportunity had come up for a spot in a residential rehab program, but the police prosecutor said they were seeking a prison sentence.
The 38-year-old has been in custody since February 24 when his bail application was refused.
The VRO breach charges he pleaded guilty to related to a violence restraining order taken out against Cousins by his former partner and the mother of his two young children.
The aggravated stalking charge against the Brownlow medallist related to "persistent" breaches of his violence restraining order which Cousins' lawyer said were due to his attempts to see his children, aged three and five.
Examples of the breaches included Cousins attending his child's first day of school and waiting for the children outside their Sunday school at church.
The former AFL captain also admitted possessing eight grams of methamphetamine, which the magistrate previously said would indicate he was a "very heavy user" of the drug.
During a previous court hearing in December, when Cousins was fined $2000 for different breaches to his VRO and drug charges, the magistrate warned him he could face a mandatory jail term under family violence laws if he re-offended.
"Your record will fast catch up with you - that would be the greatest fall from grace of all time," he said.
"You are no use to your children if you are completely wrecked because of drug issues."
On March 20, police prosecution played phone calls Cousins made while in jail to the court.
In the tapped calls he told his father he could quit drugs whenever he wanted but that he did not want to stop taking methamphetamine.
"I have a bit of gear and it makes me feel normal," he said.
"I'm not going to stop. I don't want to stop."
Mr Tudori reiterated on Monday Cousins wanted to attend rehabilitation.
"He's now had six weeks in custody waiting for sentencing, [he's] much clearer in thinking, much [more] determined for his children to start rehabilitating his life," he said.
"There is a [local residential rehabilitation] place available for him and once these matters are finalised, there's hope he'll hope straight into that facility."
His parents did not speak outside court.
Cousins' long battle with mental health and drugs
The popular West Coast captain has battled drug addiction throughout his AFL career with the Eagles and Richmond and after it ended in 2010.
The 38-year-old was detained by police, and then hospitalised, in June 2016 after interfering with traffic on Canning Highway in Como while in a dazed state.
At one stage he was banned for a year from football while contracted to the Eagles and had several run-ins with police after Richmond threw him a lifeline in 2009.
The 2005 Brownlow medallist was spared jail in 2015 for a bizarre episode in which he trespassed at a Sikh temple in Canning Vale.
In the subsequent court case, a lawyer for Cousins said his client had been mentally ill at the time of incident, had been hospitalised rather than locked up and had taken a fencing job in Collie.
In December 2016 he was fined $600 and then $2000 for separate breaches of the VRO taken out by his former partner and drug charges.
At the time the sentencing judge warned him he could face a mandatory jail term under family violence laws if he re-offended, describing it as being the "greatest fall from grace of all time".
Cousins has since reoffended and has been in prison since February 24 after his bail was refused.
He awaiting sentencing for a string of charges including drug offences, multiple breaches of a VRO and aggravated stalking - with his lawyer appealing for the former Eagle to be sent to a residential rehabilitation facility.
West Coast chief executive Trevor Nisbett, on the eve of the club's 10-year premiership celebrations, touched on the Brownlow medallist's battle, saying he would forgo that 2006 success in exchange for the good mental health of Cousins and other troubled ex-Eagles from that side.
Cousins' on-field career garnered just about every honour imaginable, including six All-Australian jumpers and his 2005 Brownlow triumph.
But there was just as much drama off it, with West Coast forced to take the captaincy of its favourite son after he famously avoided a booze bus by jumping into the Canning River.
He was eventually sacked by the club in 2007 after several failed stints in rehab and finished his career after two seasons at Richmond in 2009 and 2010, for a total of 270 career AFL games.
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