RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick has confirmed that star midfielder Ben Cousins will take to the field for Saturday’s clash against the Sydney Swans at the SCG.

Cousins was left out of the side last week after experiencing some soreness in his knee but trained well this week, earning himself a place in the Tiger’s 22.

“He’s a definite starter,” Hardwick said at Punt Road on Friday morning.

“He’s trained really well this week which has been pleasing, so he’ll play and hopefully he plays well for us. He’s an important player to our side and just adds a lot of experience and knows how to play the game and our young guys can learn a lot off him.”