Mason Cox’s Return to Fremantle
Mason Cox is being encouraged to embrace his bold and confident personality as he prepares for his debut with the Fremantle Dockers in the upcoming western derby against West Coast. This opportunity comes after Cox was released by Collingwood at the end of the previous season, and now he will step in as a replacement for Sean Darcy, who is sidelined due to a concussion.
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir confirmed the decision on Friday, revealing that the team will deploy a dual ruck attack featuring Cox and Luke Jackson. This strategic move aims to leverage Cox’s experience and physical presence in the ruck contests.
Cox has a distinguished career with Collingwood, where he played 139 games over 10 seasons, including the club’s premiership win in 2023. Standing at 211cm, the American player is known for his confidence and assertiveness, traits that Longmuir has encouraged him to maintain at Fremantle.
“We want him to be himself, and want him to bring all of himself,” Longmuir said. “He’s done that since he got to the club. He’s done it at training sessions, in the gym. So we wouldn’t ask him to not do that on game day.”
Cox has shown strong performance this season, averaging 39.5 hitouts, six marks, and 21.5 possessions across his two WAFL appearances. However, with Darcy ahead of him in the ruck hierarchy, Cox has had to wait patiently for his chance.
Another key player making a return is star midfielder Hayden Young, who has overcome a strain to his left hamstring. Young has been a standout performer at Peel, and Longmuir believes he is ready to contribute at the highest level.
“He’s been our best player at Peel so far in two games, and really he’s been just waiting for an opportunity,” Longmuir said. “My message to him the last three, four weeks was just make sure when the opportunity comes up, you’re in good form, and he’s done that.”
Young has a history of soft tissue injuries, including surgery on his right hamstring last year. Despite this, Longmuir remains confident in his ability to perform, both in the midfield and during short stints in attack.
“Although his minutes might slightly change first week back in terms of forward-mid balance, he’ll continue to play the same role,” Longmuir said. “He’s one of our best centre bounce players, so we want him in a position where he can best impact the game. And we feel like we’re on top of his injuries, and feel like he’s had a really good rehab stint.”
In addition to Young, forward Michael Fredrick will also return after recovering from an ankle injury. However, there are some concerns regarding Jaeger O’Meara, who is set for an extended period on the sidelines after suffering facial fractures during training this week.
“He’s a much loved teammate. To see him go down to training, it spooked us a little bit,” Longmuir said.
On the other side, West Coast will be without midfielder Deven Robertson for the rest of the season due to an ACL injury. Jack Graham is also scheduled for shoulder surgery and will miss approximately two months.
