Mason Cox on his citizenship, his contract, and his salute to a fallen Black Panther hero

Mason Cox on his citizenship, his contract, and his salute to a fallen Black Panther hero. The US star admits he isn’t sure what his future holds.

American Pie Mason Cox wants to stay at Collingwood. Picture: Brett Costello

In an ideal world Mason Cox would celebrate his new Collingwood contract this off-season by capping his Australian citizenship at an MCG ceremony.

Yet in a year of global uncertainty Cox admits he is unsure if he will be at the club next year despite breaking into the Collingwood side again in recent weeks.

Against Carlton he capped a two-goal display with a Black Panther salute to American actor Chadwick Boseman on Sunday after his tragic passing from a secret cancer battle.

Cox admits he has struggled to show his wares for the Pies in a series of 14-a-side scratch matches not suited to his pace but has now played six games for the season.

He is nearing a trigger clause in his contract that would hand him a deal for 2021 but must keep his place in the side approaching finals.

The 29-year-old believes he has plenty of football left in him but admits in a strange old season he hasn’t been at his best after an early-season injury.

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“It’s good to be playing with finals around the corner. I shouldn’t say the F word but it’s good to be in the team and getting chemistry with the boys,” he said.

“It’s been a long year for everyone in the country and around the world. It’s good to get some consistency and feel somewhat settled now.

“People ask me about the knee but I am fine. I had some stuff to work on and we were playing 14-a-side scratch matches and for a guy who isn’t the fastest it wasn’t the best place to make my mark. You have to work your way out of a form slump and luckily I was able to find a spot with some injuries and make the most of it.”

Another strong finish to the season would help solidify his place at the club despite extreme salary cap pressures.

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He isn’t sure what his future holds at Collingwood but loves the game and will become an Australian citizen by March, still hoping for that MCG ceremony after coming to Australia with dreams of playing at that stadium.

“Yeah, we will see. Those kinds of things are up to the club, really. You keep doing your thing and whatever way it falls, it falls. So it’s what we pay our agents for. It will be interesting, the next two or three months,” he said.

“I think injury-wise I have been pretty lucky and I am quite young in football terms.

“I was talking to Eddie Betts yesterday and everyone is saying it could be his last year. When you look at players like Edide who can turn a game, it would be silly not to sign him.

“I am not saying I am anywhere near him but it’s a different outlook on retirement and when the magical age is.”

Cox replicated Lebron James’s ‘Wakanda Forever’ salute in honour of Black Panther actor Boseman, thrilled he was able to pay tribute to a trailblazing American.

“I didn’t really know the whole circumstances of his cancer, but he touched a lot of people’s lives. He is an icon back in the States with Black Lives Matter and he has taken on roles that are very important to the stories he has been telling.

“The roles he took on with Black Panther and ‘42’ are some of my favourite roles and he has taken on the meaning of those roles for the broader community.”

Cox paid tribute to his teammate Chris Mayne, saying friends in the US couldn’t believe the price AFL players paid after the utility cracked his cheekbone in a collision with Carlton’s Patrick Cripps.

“It’s a brutal sport. It’s pretty f***ed up in all honesty. You show that stuff to people and they say that is just crazy. But Chris Mayne is a legend of a man. He is very much team-oriented and it’s been well documented his ups and downs at Collingwood.

“Within the four walls of Collingwood he is so well respected and the outside world will say what they want, but within Collingwood he is one of the most highly regarded guys at the club. Hopefully he can back up how many weeks time.”

Herald Sun