Player Watch Mason Cox

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I thought it was a promising debut and to have the composure to slot that goal early was a very welcome change and it fired the boys up. He can only be better for playing on such a big stage.

He has work to do but going in the right direction.
 

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Let's see how good he is this time next year. Mike Pike was called the worst player ever to play the game midway through his first year of AFL. A lot to like about the big Cox
 
wicksy said:
Grundy is dumb as f@#$ and lazy!! Completely disagree with you....
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Witts is a liability. He might get better but right now Grundy is superior around the ground and they are both awful at hitouts to advantage.
Xenthor said:
Sorry to intrude but I see Cox as more of a ruckman who rucks no more than half the game. He can get pushed around to easily as shown a bit today with Leuenberger.
I also don't think you could fit in Cox, Moore, Cloke, Howe and Grundy. Just a tad tall for my liking.
Does anyone here reckon Moore could possibly play back? And in the preseason I heard talk about Howe playing on a wing
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I would be preparing for Howe in defense when Ried's legs fall off.

anshell said:
I thought Cox was great today.But just a word of caution,he was up against a very weak Essendon defence today.He just might be found out against West Coast next week,and everyone will be calling for his head and saying he's a dud.
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He won't get shorter. Just watch those NicNat knees.
 
Troglodyte said:
Agree with all this. He straightened us up and then made sure he contested whenever the ball came his way. He didn't win them all and looked a bit cumbersome at times but gave 100% and had a team first approach. Hope he continues to develop and plays a heap of games for us.

On that note, I think our best structure is a key ruck, two key forwards and a third forward who does back up ruck. This year's been a bit of a disaster so far but if we still think that the Pies can challenge from 2017 on then who fills these positions?


Cox already appears to be our best tap ruck but neither Grundy or Witts looks like being a forward yet so if Cox is lead ruck, the other two are gone.

If Grundy is our ruck with Moore and Cloke as forwards that leaves one position for a forward/ruck. This could be Cox but White was recruited for this role and has never been given a chance at it. If this happens, there's no place for Witts and if Witts is first ruck there's no place for Grundy.

If we were to win the flag in 2018 I'd say Moore and Cloke at FF and CHF, Grundy in the ruck and Cox as a third mobile target, rucking about 25% of the time. Howe is another target with Reid and Brown still holding down the key posts. That leaves White and Witts out of our team and makes Cox the first American to win an AFL premiership medallion.
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Yep, agreed.

People who suggest it is too tall are thinking Howe will play as a marking forward, which he won't.

Howe gave a good preview of his role yesterday - hanging around the half back line when the ball is deep in defence and providing a great set of hands for that long kick out of trouble, or if the ball is being run out, pushing through the wing to provide a deeper option. He was brought in to significantly improve our marking capability around the ground, not to play as a third tall forward.
 
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Kappa said:
http://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/video/2016-04-25/highlights-mason-coxs-debut

Even when he doesn't win possession, whenever he is near the ball he is constantly smartly tapping the ball to his teammates advantage.. he has a super footy brain already. Great highlight video.

Lots of goals set up just by a deft Cox tap on
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Great call! That was what impressed me the most was his "footy smarts". Tapping the ball to an advantage of a team-mate, rather than taking possession and getting tackled. He did this in his NAB cup games too. Obviously that and his competitiveness in the air and on the ground. Plenty to work with and he has to be persisted with.
 
Helfarch said:
Witts is a liability. He might get better but right now Grundy is superior around the ground and they are both awful at hitouts to advantage.

I would be preparing for Howe in defense when Ried's legs fall off.


He won't get shorter. Just watch those NicNat knees.
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I never mentioned Witts.... I said Cox is our best ruckman and I would experiment playing Cox, Moore, Cloke, Howe forward with the former 2 rotating through the ruck.
 

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That one handed mark and handball off to Howe was just ridiculous!!

I was in the AFL members and was looking down the line of the kick and he was out of position and looked no chance to get it but he stuck out that long arm and it stuck. I don't think any other player in the league could have done it.
 
The best thing about Coxy's game yesterday was his non "taught" acts.

You can teach a bloke to kick, you can teach him to mark, lead, play in the ruck, but that one where he dropped the mark, used his body to protect his opponent from the ball then knocked it onto Sidey showed more smarts than anyone could imagine he had.

Oh and the other thing, play the 2 rucks most weeks, just do it.
 
mattys123 said:
The best thing about Coxy's game yesterday was his non "taught" acts.

You can teach a bloke to kick, you can teach him to mark, lead, play in the ruck, but that one where he dropped the mark, used his body to protect his opponent from the ball then knocked it onto Sidey showed more smarts than anyone could imagine he had.

Oh and the other thing, play the 2 rucks most weeks, just do it.
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Was my favorite highlight of the day.
 
I gotta admit I wasn't expecting much given the only time I'd seen him was that invisible performance in the final against Sandringham(?) last year.

Clearly not the finished product but he looks a lot more experienced than he is!
 
I really hope he keeps getting games. Sorry Witts :(
He did approximately as much as Moore did in this game, which is fine by me. Let the two of them work together.
 
Cox's first game was better than any game Witts has had in his career.

His improvement in such a small amount of time is remarkable, look at his kicking style at the combine to now is just a thing of beauty.
In 2 years time imagine what he will be capable of.

Witts has just become surplus and we need to capitalize on that and hopefully get back into the first round of the draft.
 
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mattys123 said:
Yeah, nah.

http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/J/Jarrod_Witts.html

Check Witts best 10 games out, all statistically better than Mason yesterday. Fact.

The problem Witts has is he and Grundy don't seem to play well together, they just don't compliment each other.
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Statistically better but reading of the play, positioning of his body over the ball, the little taps to our players advantage at ground level Cox's game is superior. (maybe getting a little caught up in the hype ;) )

Witts has very little impact with his possessions and very little impact on contests.

You're very right with not being compatible with Grundy.
 
Awesome debut! So happy for the big fella and for us. Had a real presence in the forward line, and had the defenders worried and looking over their shoulders constantly, something rare to see in a first gamer. Most importantly he made our mids look for the lead straight up the ground and got the run through centre rather than going wide as much.

I was at the game and he's a whole lot bigger in person. Was expececting him to be a bit more long and lanky, but the man is just a giant!!

Well done coxy, here's to another couple hundred games.
 
Looney said:
Can you imagine someone like Lebron James playing AFL?
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I think AFL recruiters are actually limiting themselves.

188cm to 196cm people over in US that athletically put Cox to shame and i don't buy the crap they couldn't learn how to be a KPF or mid for one minute.

Hell Cox was bought in more as a KPF anyway but i think in time will become 1st choice ruck.
 

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Player Watch Mason Cox

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