Mainy died after weekend bender
By Michael Warner
October 02, 2007
TROUBLED West Coast star Ben Cousins was at the home of former teammate Chris Mainwaring just hours before Mainwaring collapsed and died on Monday morning.
Sources have confirmed Cousins was with Mainwaring at his Perth home on Sunday.
The Brownlow medallist went to check on his mate, who was at the tail end of a weekend bender after his marriage breakdown.
Mainwaring's binge involved cannabis and ecstasy, Perth's Channel 9 reported last night.
He told the first paramedics who attended that despite taking the drugs he was OK, it was reported.
The Herald Sun believes Cousins left the house in the Perth suburb of Cottesloe before neighbours reported seeing Mainwaring screaming and yelling on the road about 11.30pm (AWST).
The two-time premiership player and All-Australian collapsed and died about an hour later. He was 41.
The shock death of the former Eagle and Channel 7 sports presenter sparked an outpouring of emotion and tributes in the footy world.
Former teammate Karl Langdon said his mate had been fighting deep personal problems that were affecting both his work and life away from the media.
"He's had a couple of issues personally, away from public life, very private and personal issues," he said.
"He's been dealing with things that affect us as people, as human beings."
Police and ambulance officers were called to the house at 11.30pm on Sunday after neighbours reported hearing Mainwaring screaming.
Sources close to the late midfield player last night revealed he had indulged in a "large weekend" of partying.
Mainwaring refused medical help and was placed in the care of a neighbour.
But later he lost consciousness and the ambulance was again called. Mainwaring was taken to the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
It emerged yesterday Mainwaring's employer, Channel 7 in Perth, had recently given him time off to deal with personal problems.
Mainwaring had been expected to attend Saturday's grand final as a guest of the AFL to take part in the pre-match entertainment, but cancelled at the last minute.
Sources said the relationship between Mainwaring and his wife, Rani, had been strained in recent weeks.
Rani and the couple's daughter Maddy, 8, and son Zac, 6, travelled to their home town of Geraldton, north of Perth, for the weekend.
Another source said Rani, a close friend of Ben Cousins' former girlfriend, Samantha Druce, had grown tired of Mainwaring's close friendship with Cousins.
He said Rani had been putting pressure on Mainwaring to learn from Cousins's mistakes.
The pair had recently returned from a European vacation where they had attempted to patch up their problems.
Perth football identity Brad Hardie said there had been concerns about Mainwaring's well-being for two weeks.
"Obviously, things weren't totally together in his private life," Hardie said.
A neighbour of Mainwaring first called police on Sunday night after he was seen acting strangely outside his home.
Mainwaring was placed in the care of a neighbour.
He spoke to police and paramedics for some time before emergency services left, a police spokesman said.
In 1993, Mainwaring was arrested outside a Gold Coast nightclub for possession of cannabis.
He had earlier twice lost his licence for drink-driving.
Mainwaring's death ends a disastrous year for West Coast, in which key players have been embroiled in off-field scandals.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,22517278-23211,00.html
