Cox results spark new interest in US talent
THE unlikely heroics of a 211cm one- time US- based soccer player named Mason Cox has sparked a renewened search for similar talent from the home of the brave.
And 27- year- old Cox’s journey has been nothing but brave, a man who has been the subject of ridicule at times as he has tried to master a code he knew nothing about five years ago.
From those humble beginnings to dominating the MCG on Preliminary Final night may just represent the “remarkable performance” in the 160- year history of our code, a view ADL national talent and international manager Kevin Sheehan agrees with.
“To put a stamp on a game like that, I can’t think of a more remarkable performance from a player who didn’t grow up with our code,” said Sheehan yesterday, who has been closely involved since the first US draft combine in Los Angeles in 2014.
“He desperately gets to ground balls and pushes out four or five balls per game which seven footers just don’t do. And he is so disciplined in making sure he isn’t outmarked.
“From the moment in the 1987 Preliminary Final when Jimmy Stynes ran over the mark, to 31 years later when another import takes eight contested marks on the same stage, that is the evolution of the international experiment.
“Mason Cox has been laughed at, probably on the field and definitely in the media off the field, but he has a very thick skin which sees him get stronger and, more importantly, better.”
So will it lead to further exploration of potential US talent? Sheehan believes yes.