Reigning TAC Cup premiers Dandenong Stingrays lock in their new senior coach

THE Dandenong Stingrays have appointed Nick Cox as their new senior coach to replace Craig Black.

TWO weeks ago the word coming out of the Dandenong Stingrays was that Nick Cox was at “Winx-like’’ odds to become the new senior coach.

As the champion mare does, clear favourite Cox got up.

The former Dandenong and Frankston VFA/VFL player was appointed yesterday after a long process that included two rounds of interviews.

It’s believed he held off Mark Wheatley, a line coach at the Casey Demons and part of Melbourne’s Next Generation Academy.

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Cox has been with the Stingrays for five years, initially as a runner for Graeme Yeats, then as an assistant to Craig Black.

Black steered the club to its first TAC Cup premiership this year and is now part of Collingwood’s academy program.

Cox’s involvement at Shepley Oval goes back to his days as a young player at Dandenong.

When the Redlegs folded at the end of 1994 he joined Frankston.

Many years of excellence in suburban football followed; playing for Bayswater, he was good enough to win an Eastern league Division 1 medal in 2000.

Nick Cox has coached the Stingrays for 10 matches.

He later won Division 2 and 3 medals to gain recognition as an official legend of the EFL.

Cox coached Bayswater, Cranbourne and South Belgrave, and was also an assistant at Rowville.

For the past two years he had coaching cameos at the Stingrays when Black was called up for Vic Country duties at the Under 18 nationals.

In his 10 matches in charge the Stingrays lost once. But as he was quick to point, he was more concerned with the development of the players than his own win-loss ratio.

Cox said he was “more relieved than anything’’ to take a phone call from AFL Victoria’s Paul Hamilton last night telling him he had the job.

“It was a long process. They definitely made me earn it, which is a good thing,’’ he said.

“It was a thorough process and I like to think it was the right decision in the end.’’

Nick Cox coaching at South Belgrave.

Cox said he was pleased his service at the Dandenong Stingrays and in the TAC Cup had been recognised, just as fellow Stingrays assistant Josh Bourke’s was when he was appointed to coach the Sandringham Dragons.

“It’s great that if you do your time in the system and learn the system and you’re good enough, AFL Vic will promote from within and give you an opportunity. Not only are they developing players they’re developing coaches,’’ he said.

“We’ve got a pretty good blueprint for success as an organisation … we want to maintain that and develop kids so that when they leave the program they were better than when they started it, no matter what level they go to.

“I’m talking about not only better players but better people.’’

Cox said Shepley Oval was “almost a second home to me’’.

“The first time I drove through the gates was for Dowling Shield (cricket) tryouts,’’ he said.

“It hasn’t changed much. It’s just not as boggy as it was in the VFA days.’’

Cox, 44, is involved in the building industry and lives at Berwick.

Aside from football, he was also a star batsman for Hallam Kalora Park in the Dandenong District Cricket Association.

His son, Mitch, played for the Stingrays and for Casey and Frankston in the VFL.

Nick Cox showing off his league medal in 2006, won playing for Rowville.