#46 Mason Cox

[BEAMER09]

Going by the name of MCC - yep Mason Carey Cox.

Come on big fella, one more domination.

[K]

So it turns out we needn't have feared RICH's illegal tactics. There were still two or three frees MC could have been given, but on two of those occasions he marked the ball anyway.

What did WCE do in the first final?

[RudeBoy]

Cox played poorly against the Eagles, but he is a smart guy and he learned from his mistakes, in terms of positioning and using his strength to push off defenders. Also, our team delivered the ball much better to Cox on Friday night, better than they have done all year.

[stui magpie]

He also lead better.

Degoey went deep, separating their key backs, while Cox did multiple up and back leads so the mids could put the ball in front of him.

He also got up the wing to take the mark from kick ins.

Basically, he showed good forward craft, got on his bike, and made it hard for the opposition to maul him.

He needs to do the same against the Wiggles

[K]

...

[K]

There will be a Sports Illustrated article on MC.

[stui magpie]

Short version of the video

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2018-09-24/ ... the-tigers

[Tannin]

Some very nice overhead video of MC repeatedly pushing off the defender to get separation and making the lead:
http://www.afl.com.au/video/2018-09-22/ ... n-him-play

So who is Matt Thompson and why is he so fat?

[K]

Burning questions: Will Mason Cox prove to be a one-hit wonder?

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/bur ... 505wn.html

...
If he was to finish with two goals, six marks and regularly bring the ball to ground, allowing the Pies to retain the ball inside attacking 50, then he would have more than done his job.

He had a career-high five goals against Melbourne in the Queen's Birthday clash but also had returns of two against Essendon and twice against the Tigers through the regular season. If he can reprise the latter, then he is no "one-hit wonder".
...

The Pies will look to him again this week, but it's doubtful the Eagles will give him as big a "channel" to lead in as the Tigers did. ...
...

If Cox can remain a marking threat, it will go some way to subduing the Eagles' run from half-back. Jeremy McGovern and Tom Barrass love kick-starting the Eagles' attack with intercept marks. It should also be remembered the Eagles rank fourth for conceding a score from an opposition inside 50. That means the Pies will need to be at their efficient best, and Cox on the lead could be the man to prosper, particularly with Jordan De Goey to attract considerable attention.

Cox can also have an impact in the limited time he gets in the ruck. The Eagles will have two front-line big men - Scott Lycett and Nathan Vardy - to throw at Brodie Grundy, so any help Cox can give in terms of hit-outs to advantage and scoring from stoppages will be a bonus. The Pies scored 60 of their 97 points from stoppages on Friday, and will look to again dominate in this area.
...

[swoop42]

We tried to replicate the Leigh Brown role with Dawes and Q. Lynch with little success and it's value was largely forgotten.

We then experimented with Grundy and Witts together to no avail.

Arguably the biggest advantage we gain in playing Cox is not his forward output but his ability to play duel roles and he has elevated his game enough this season for the experiment to continue.

With Cox filling two roles it enables us to have the flexibility to choose a player to fill a role in any area of the ground we see fit and on Saturday we'll see if it can gain us an advantage over the more traditional West Coast structure.

Folks, Cox is the new Leigh Brown.

[K]

Star in stripes: US reacts to big Pies' performance

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-09-28/s ... erformance

... including

https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2018/09 ... rules.html

"The Texan has generated plenty of skepticism from respected pundits during his three seasons of AFL but he delivered a stunning riposte to doubters during the Magpies' upset of the reigning champions Richmond in Melbourne on Friday."

and

https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2 ... basketball


[Note the filing of these articles in the "rugby" and "college basketball" sections of the websites.]

[masoncox]

Well you have made it when you get profiled in the New York Times.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/08/spor ... e=Homepage

[stui magpie]

Found this nifty vid, highlights of our very own Turgid Texan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAvPjGUzlVA

Think back to round 1 last year and that performance against Hawthorn. His rate of improvement really picked up after that.

25 goals for the year, 61 contested marks and 25% hit outs to advantage.

It's not just his marking, which has improved out of sight over the year, but his quick brain, deft tap ons and team work.

I'm looking forward to a big 2019 from the Phallic Forward, and the opportunity to make repeated penis related posts.

And while the big one got away in 2018, we still have this to look back fondly on.

[Skids]

Love this bloke!
An absolute weapon and this year... and beyond, are going to be huge!
I've had a little nibble of the 66/1 for the Coleman.

[PyreneesPie]

Thanks for the link Stui. Great viewing!!!

Really, it's been an incredible journey. To have the courage and boldness to leave home for a country on the other side of the world to play a game he had so little knowledge of. It's movie stuff.
It would be a real bonus if his parents could be convinced to live here during the winter, as he seems to really turn it on when they're over here.