Mason Cox hovering on edge of Mark Robinson’s Top 50 as Nick Riewoldt, Mike Pyke laud star Pie
After Mason Cox took control of last year’s preliminary final, Nick Riewoldt was in awe. But can the Collingwood star repeat his heroics in 2019? Ahead of his Top 50, MARK ROBINSON reveals one of his biggest decisions.
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Nick Riewoldt wondered this week if anyone had played a better 10 minutes of finals football this century than Mason Cox.
It was the preliminary final against Richmond. MCG. Second quarter. Brunton Avenue end.
Chewing gum like he was Viv Richards and strutting like he had drunk a glass-and-a-half of full-cream confidence, the lad from Texas dumped the curiosity badge he had carried for 42 games and, in an inspiring and invincible 10 minutes of football, became gobsmackingly authentic.
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This was the feverish theatre of the penultimate weekend of an Australian Rules season, during which heroes are found and losers are forgotten.
Riewoldt, too, was in awe.
But now he counters it with the question: Can he do it again?
“He was awesome, but was it his summit?’’ Riewoldt asked.
From mid-January, when thoughts take shape for the Herald Sun’s Top 50 players, which will appear on Tuesday, Cox sat comfortably at No.50 on the list.
On Thursday, he was dumped for Essendon’s Joe Daniher.
Time will tell whether that decision was right and, indeed, will answer Riewoldt’s question.
Mike Pyke, one of the international trailblazers who played 110 games for Sydney, believes Cox is clearly a top 50 player.
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“If you look at the value he brought to Collingwood in the finals, you’d have to put him in the top three or four at that club ... I think I’d put him the top 50 for potential,’’ he said.
Told it was a projection list, Pyke said: “Then absolutely. Let’s say hypothetically he does half of what he did in the preliminary final as a baseline for his performance this year.
“If he could take four contested grabs a game, one a quarter, and I’m not sure anyone has done that in the past 10 years, then it would put him in the top 50.
“If he can do that, watch out. If anything, the new rules (6-6-6) help him and I think Bucks would’ve been sleeping pretty well after that rule came out.’’
Pyke watched the Collingwood-Richmond game in its entirety, and was mesmerised, like all of us, when Cox ignited against David Astbury in the second quarter.
“He had the most influence of any other player on the field,’’ he said.
“If you catch the ball and convert them to goals, that’s probably the most valuable thing you can do for your team in the high-intensity game of the preliminary final.
“I thought Richmond wasn’t prepared for it. Disrespect is not the word, but I don’t think they went in there thinking Mason Cox was going to be a huge burden on them.’’
Collingwood adjusted their strategy to get the best out of Cox from the first final to their third final.
Against West Coast in the qualifying final in Perth, which they lost, the ball was bombed to Cox and he had to stop, prop and contest to little avail.
In the preliminary final against Richmond, they placed the ball in front of Cox.
It was like swapping the four-iron for the nine-iron.
As a strategy, it was a brilliant concept from the coaching staff.
Its execution was equally as brilliant by Cox’s teammates.
“Forget about him, if you can, being an international player, but for someone to take as many contested grabs in that game ... that speaks for itself,’’ Pyke said.
“We’re not talking international players, we’re talking the history of the league. What he did was quite remarkable, an incredible achievement.’’
American Cox was playing just his 43rd match, having grown up never played our game, yet there he was devastating Richmond in front of 100,000 people.
“What he did should be a warning to the AFL,” Pyke said.
“Here’s a guy who’s the size of Aaron Sandilands who can jump better than he does.
“He’s got a club that’s committed to playing him upfront 90 per cent of the time, and also teammates that are committed to kicking him the ball.
“He didn’t have a great Grand Final in the first half, but the faith Bucks showed in him, the faith his teammate showed in him to keep going to him, when he was clearly down, that's speaks volumes.
“In the Grand Final (after halftime) he kept Collingwood in it to be honest.’’
Cox’s grand final opponent Tom Barrass tried and succeeded in the first half in stopping Cox having a free run at the ball. He bodied the big Magpie and pushed him under the “nine-irons’’.
Cox’s second half was much better. So for six of the final eight quarters of the 2018 season, Cox was among the most influential players.
Now, back to Riewoldt’s question: Was it his summit?
Pyke doesn’t have the answer, but he says Cox should be a more consistent and confident player.
“I think he had to be already extremely confident to have the preliminary final game he had. And it will help him further,’’ he said.
“What he has to do is probably not get content with where he’s at because you can guarantee it defenders will now recognise him as a genuine threat. They will do more work on him.”
He said Cox’s advantage was obvious.
“The reality is and this is taking nothing away from what he had to do in terms of building his skill level, but when he wakes up every morning, he’s 6ft10 and he’s a genuine threat in the competition simply because of his size.’’
So was late last season a freakish sporting phenom or a forerunner of performance to come?
Turning 28 on Thursday can Cox repeat and flourish?
If he does, it’s possible the Texan could become a top 50 player.
Not the best 50 in terms of skill, but certainly in value.
* Mason Cox is a $334,900 forward in AFL SuperCoach in 2019.
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