American Pie Mason Cox set to hit contract trigger that will see him remain with Collingwood
Mason Cox is guaranteed to play for Collingwood next year and is about to hit a trigger on his current contract that will see him stay in the black and white for some time yet.
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Mason Cox is guaranteed to play for Collingwood next year and is close to a trigger on his current contract that will see him stay in the black and white until at least the end of 2021.
The Herald Sun has confirmed the 28-year-old has been told he won’t be part of any trade discussions this year.
As he prepares to leave Australia for the United States on Thursday morning, Cox has also been given a clean bill of health following two eye surgeries which ended his 2019 campaign.
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He will be ready for day one of the Magpies’ pre-season later in the year.
Cox was bemused by the speculation surrounding his future this week, tweeting a mooted possible move to Essendon was “fake news”.
The Bombers told the Herald Sun on Tuesday night that Cox was not on their radar during this trade period.
— Mason Cox (@masonsixtencox) October 9, 2019
It is understood discussions between the two clubs were preliminary after an initial inquiry was made but never proceeded any further.
Cox’s manager Adam Ramanauskas said there was nothing in the Bombers’ reported interest in the spearhead.
“Collingwood at no stage put Mason Cox ever on the table. Essendon never spoke to him,” Ramanauskas said on RSN.
Cox signed a new three-year deal with the Magpies in late 2017, locking him into the club until the end of next year.
But we can reveal he is close to reaching a trigger clause that will give him an extra year.
The man who took a 2018 preliminary final by the scruff of the neck — dragging down eight contested marks — before playing a strong second half of the Grand Final that year endured a difficult 2019 season.
He played 14 games, but had to deal with several niggling injuries before suffering a torn retina in Collingwood’s Round 20 clash against Gold Coast.
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The injury was so serious part of his recovery was staying in a darkened room for up to a fortnight.
The eye surgery meant he wasn’t a part of Collingwood’s 2019 finals campaign, with the he Magpies missing the presence of an extra tall forward, particularly in the preliminary final loss to Greater Western Sydney.
But Cox is expected to have no further issues with his eye and the break from football has also eased the niggles that he carried through a 2019 season in which he kicked 19 goals from his 14 games.
Originally published as American Pie Mason Cox set to hit contract trigger that will see him remain with Collingwood