Collingwood big man Mason Cox says he doesn’t care what critics think of him

COLLINGWOOD ruckman Mason Cox has dismissed the critics and is determined to use the experience of a poor final to improve his craft as an epic battle with a key Tiger looms.

COLLINGWOOD ruckman Mason Cox has dismissed the critics and is determined to use the experience of a poor final to improve his craft.

The 211cm American conceded that his outing against West Coast in the team’s qualifying final loss was sub-par and was one he was set on making amends for against the Giants on Saturday night.

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And after taking lessons from the dominance of Jeremy McGovern, Cox improved against Phil Davis on Saturday night and said he was relishing the prospect of taking on the likes of Alex Rance, David Astbury or Dylan Grimes on Friday night.

“Every time you play against some of the best defenders in the league, you take something out of their book and can apply it to the next person,” he said.

“Whenever it comes to playing against the best defenders, it’s something that has helped me in my game every single week.

“Obviously you’ve got to beat the best to be the best, so hopefully I can do that this week.”

Magpie Mason Cox says he doesn’t care what the critics say. Picture: AAP

The tall “owned up” to the disappointing outing against the Eagles, when he was held to just five disposals.

“I think we got beat aerially, and that’s something I take pride in so it wasn’t my best game coming out of Perth,” he said.

“I took it upon myself to do better in the GWS game. I think aerially we held up in the forward half and didn’t allow as many marks as West Coast took, and that allowed our smalls in the forward line to get to work and get some goals.”

While he admitted he still had plenty to learn about Australian rules, Cox said he refused to listen to negativity surrounding his performances.

“To me, it’s all a bit funny because I didn’t know the sport four years ago,” he said.

“If you want to hate me, hate me. I don’t really care. It’s a cool story, a unique story. I’m proud of my journey and I’m proud of where I’ve come from and where I’m at now.

“Criticism comes with the job and that’s how it is.

“I know mental health has been a big thing for the players in the past few years and I think one of the things you can do is just shut it off. It’s very easy to stay off social media if someone’s going to be negative.

“It’s not something I even think about, to be honest. As long as you surround yourself with good people then you’ll have a good life.”