DEE DUNKER
American Pie in Collingwood crossover coup
THE American experiment is paying off in spades for Collingwood.
It took some time — and there were plenty of doubters — but after five goals on the big Queen’s Birthday stage of at the MCG, Mason Cox looks a “project player” no more.
Cox, 27, produced a complete performance in the Magpies’ destruction of Melbourne what could prove a coming of age for a player who still has only 31 AFL games to his name.
It seems confidence is key for the former basketballer, and he had plenty of it yesterday as he clunked contested marks, kicked goals from everywhere — including outside 50m — and played a role in the ruck.
In a Magpie forward line that had well-publicised problems last year, Cox is quickly becoming a key pillar. If he doesn’t mark it, he competes. But yesterday he was marking it — eight times in fact, including five inside-50 — with his 211cm frame proving too big for undersize opponents Oscar McDonald (196cm) and Joel Smith (191cm).
At full stretch, there is not a defender in the competition who can go with him.
For someone still so new to the game, Cox’s kicking at goal is also better than most.
There was only one behind to go with his five majors against Melbourne, which was a career high tally.
Among other key stats, Cox logged nine contested possessions, eight score involvements and nine hit-outs. He has now kicked 11.5 from his past eight games and the sky is the limit for what the next eight games will hold.
There were eyebrows raised when Cox penned a three-year contract extension last September, taking him through until at least the end of 2020.
However, that is now looking a wise move by the Magpies.
The club’s development staff have engineered the former Oklahoma State University engineering student into a pretty handy footballer.
FOR eight weeks we have spoken about Jordan De Goey the forward.
Yesterday it was Jordan De Goey the midfielder. This was De Goey’s game by the numbers — 30 disposals, seven tackles, four clearances, four score assists and 12 inside-50s.
A quiet final term denied him career-best figures, but his impact on the 42-point win against Melbourne was established long before that.
Collingwood built an early lead, De Goey was the reason.
When De Goey registered his sixth inside-50 the Demons had only registered three. Several resulted in goals.
At halftime he had 10 entries and was on track to beat the record of 16, shared by Adam Simpson and Brownlow winners Patrick Dangerfield and Mark Riccuito.
The Magpies bolted to an early 33-6 lead and, like a quiz master, from there they simply held all the answers.
After De Goey’s rampant first quarter, Demons coach Simon Goodwin started 97kg full-forward Jesse Hogan on him in the second term.
On Queen’s Birthday last year Christian Petracca was best-afield and the ensuing headlines compared him to Dustin Martin.
Well, De Goey is Collingwood’s Dusty. He is a bull and, like Martin last year, he is pushing his price north with every game he plays.
How much is he worth? $800,000 a season? A million? De Goey, 22, is an entertainer and footy was starving for a good game after an ugly season.
Yesterday 83,518 fans dined out on a cracker.
It felt like a final and it was the fifth-highest home-andaway crowd the Demons had ever played in front of.
In a high-scoring shootout, it was Mason Cox who led the way up forward.
The “USA! USA!” chant rang around the MCG after Cox coolly slotted his fourth goal. His fifth sealed the win.
An American giant punting majors on the Queen’s Birthday? Fancy that.
If Tom Lynch is thinking about joining Collingwood, you wonder what he would’ve thought of Cox’s bag. How many could Lynch kick playing in front of this midfield?
Collingwood burned off Melbourne. How quick are the Pies? Speed thrills.
For all the recent fanfare about the Demons, they have recorded just one more win than the Pies. Perhaps it was
just Fugazi, as coach Goodwin recently labelled it.
It was not long ago the Pies coach was seen to have Buckley’s chance of surviving after six so-so years.
Now he and his hungry young team are entitled to widen their ambition. Collingwood is a good team getting better.
After the bye the Pies play Carlton, Gold Coast and Essendon. They should comfortably be 11-4 and from there you don’t miss finals.
Demon kid Joel Smith’s audition for Jake Lever’s position went well and youngster Charlie Spargo sparked his team in the second quarter. Spargo had nine disposals at halftime, all in the second term. Brodie Grundy shaded Max Gawn in the ruck and Grundy’s onballers smashed the Dees 45-26 in clearances.
Playing as the target inside 50m, Rising Star chance Jaidyn Stephenson jagged 4.3.
Re-signed forward Tom McDonald kicked a careerbest 6.0. No other Demon kicked multiple goals and Hogan’s goalless game left Will Hoskin-Elliott as the only AFL player to kick a goal in every round this season.
Hoskin-Elliott kicked four, Josh Thomas kicked three and the Magpies kicked 20 goals in consecutive games for the first time since 2011.
Last year Collingwood had a forensic review. The only review needed now is a reassessment of whether it is a topeight team or a top-four team.