Mason Cox is set to play his 100th match on Sunday, and the American-born Magpie has provided plenty of entertainment along the way.
While Irish imports are no stranger to the game, given the similarities between Australian rules and Gaelic football, Americans are much, much rarer, with only Cox and AFLW Bomber Dani Marshall currently playing at the top level.
While Marshall had played the game in the States before heading to Australia, Cox started learning the game from scratch at 23. Nine years later, he is playing his 100th game at the elite level, an astonishing rise.
He's had a truly unique career, but 10 moments stand out as key moments of the Mason Cox journey - so far.
US Draft Combine, 2014
The 23-year-old Texan had a mechanical engineering degree under his belt and a job lined up with ExxonMobil before attending the US Combine in Los Angeles. He'd played soccer at high school, and after a last burst of growth to take him to 211cm, basketball at college. His leap and speed caught the eye of a number of teams, but he ultimately chose put the job on hold, move around the world and sign with Collingwood, consigning himself to a lifetime of "American Pie" jokes.
AFL debut, ANZAC Day 2016
After spending the 2015 season in the VFL, Cox showed some nice signs in practice matches the following year, but wasn't called upon for his debut until round five, 2016. It was one of – if not the – biggest stage to make a debut within a home-and-away season, an ANZAC Day match against Essendon. It didn't take long for Cox to make an impact, kicking the opening goal of the match with his first disposal. Cox finished with 11 hitouts, 10 disposals and oddly enough, 211m gained to go with his 211cm.
First Brownlow vote, 2016
Cox relished coming up against a weak Brisbane outfit in his fourth game of football, coming in a run of 10 matches from his debut. With the Pies racing away to a 78-point win, it was Cox who topped the scoreboard for the victors, booting 4.2 from his nine disposals, also recording 11 hitouts as support for Brodie Grundy. Cox polled his first Brownlow vote from the match, behind best-on-ground Adam Treloar and Scott Pendlebury.
Queen's Birthday clash, 2018
Cox was voted best-afield for his performance in the Queen's Birthday match against Melbourne, winning what is now known as the Neale Daniher Trophy after a five-goal performance. It remains a career-high tally, Melbourne struggling to quell Cox, who had 16 disposals and took eight marks, his overhead reach proving impossible to stop. Cox also scooped the three Brownlow votes from the umpires.
Preliminary final chaos, 2018
With the benefit of hindsight, Cox's barnstorming game has become part of footy folklore – the only man who stopped Richmond from a four-peat was a late convert to the sport, playing his 43rd game. Cox tore the game away from the Tigers in a withering three-goal burst to open the second quarter, putting the Pies up by 42 and inviting a chant of "USA, USA" to envelope the MCG. His contested marking was second to none, with eight of his 11 marks falling into that category.
Eye injuries, from 2018
Cox's on-field prescription goggles are impossible to miss, receiving special dispensation from the AFL in order to wear the protective lenses since last year. He's had a series of serious injuries to both his left and right eyes, with accidental pokes resulting in torn retinas and a cumulative six surgeries. The most serious operation saw Cox restricted to his bed in a dark room, unable to see for two weeks. He also now wears prescription glasses in his everyday life.
Elimination final heroics, 2020
In a nail-biting cut-throat elimination final against West Coast in Perth, Cox's three goals were key to the one-point win. Coming in a lightning five-minute burst in the first quarter, the trio of majors were the Pies' first three goals, and Cox certainly gave the West Coast coaches' box something to think about, after his heroics in 2018.
Contract lifeline, October 2021
Cox was well and truly on the selection outs at the Pies, Darcy Cameron's emergence meant opportunities dried up, with just seven games in 2021. After he was eventually handed a one-year contract extension, Cox was upfront in saying the Pies had initially said he might be better off looking for more game time elsewhere.
Resurgence under 'Fly', 2022
In a twist of fate, one of the people Cox worked most closely with back in those early days of 2015 was Collingwood's then-head of development, Craig McRae. After being on the receiving end of Cox's work while assistant coach at Richmond in 2018, McRae was eventually appointed senior coach at the Pies. After a slow start to 2022, McRae backed in Cox with consistent game time, and he played 16 straight matches to finish the year, spending considerable time in the ruck rather than up forward.
Ruptured spleen, 2023
Cox doesn't do conventional injuries. A training collision resulted in serious internal bleeding and a ruptured spleen, which needed an operation to treat. He missed five games between rounds two and eight this year, delaying his 100th match to this Sunday. Cox was exceptional in his second game back, coming up against Greater Western Sydney and recording 24 hitouts, 19 disposals and two goals.
