Dean Cox
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| Personal Info | |
|---|---|
| Birth | August 1, 1981, |
| Recruited from | East Perth Football Club (WAFL) |
| Height/Weight | 204cm / 104kg |
| Playing Career¹ | |
| Debut | Round 2, April 8, 2001, West Coast Eagles vs. Sydney Swans, at Subiaco Oval |
| Team(s) | West Coast Eagles (2001-)
103 games, 46 goals |
| ¹ Statistics to end of 2005 season | |
| Career Highlights | |
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Dean Cox (born August 1, 1981) is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League.
Contents |
[edit] Early career
Cox was evidently a naturally gifted sportsman who excelled at sports whilst growing up in Dampier, Western Australia.
His uncle George Michalczyk, a former Australian rules player himself, recommended Cox to the club he began his senior career with, East Perth.
Cox played colts for East Perth in 1999 and at the end of the season was invited to train with the West Coast Eagles in their pre-season. He impressed enough for him to be rookie-listed, however he struggled in pre-season training and was criticised for being slightly uncoordinated.
Meanwhile he played senior football for East Perth. He began the season 5th in the order of an impressive list of ruckmen, but by season's end he had impressed so much he earned a place as the first ruckman in their grand final team and collected a Simpson Medal for his efforts.
The Eagles then put him on their senior list and he made his AFL debut in 2001. Initially he showed few signs of his potential at that level. However, he was persisted with.
He is recognizable by his intimidating 204cm and 104kg frame, ranking among the top 10 tallest players in the AFL at the time of writing.
[edit] 2005 season
He came of age during the 2005 season, where he became a dominant player for the Eagles and is now considered one of their best.
He topped the year off with a terrific finals series, living up to his high standards. Two incidents stand out in particular for Cox - one where in the Qualifying Final against Sydney he took two saving marks in defence to secure the game in the dying moments, where his team got home by less than a goal. Unfortunately, the other moment that stands out had the Eagles on the other end, where in the Grand Final three weeks later, again against Sydney, he took a strong mark on the half-forward line and speared the ball in towards a pack in the dying moments. Unfortunately for the Eagles, Leo Barry took a saving mark and secured the Swans a victory by less than a goal.
[edit] 2006 Season
Cox got off to a superb start to the season and was one of the premier players in the competition early. He is still playing well and has established himself as one of the leagues premier ruckmen, averaging over 20 hitouts and almost 20 disposals per game through Round 8 of the 2006 Season. However, in Round 13 he met with a hard bump from Bulldog Adam Cooney, which left him with a broken collar bone. He has since returned to the side, and was a key figure in the Eagles thrilling 1 point win of Sydney in the 2006 AFL Grand Final, running Sydney ruckman Stephen Doyle and Darren Jolly ragged. Cox played 21 games in 2006, took 141 marks and bagged 14 goals.
[edit] Playing Style
Dean Cox is a very versatile ruckman, who tends to cover much ground. Sometimes considered to be the Eagles 'fifth midfielder', Cox is a classic example of a mobile ruckman (See Ruckman). He effectively wins ruck knock-outs and can assist the likes of Daniel Kerr, Ben Cousins, Chad Fletcher and Chris Judd.
