Why Mason Cox Wears Glasses on the Field, and How His AFL Career Got a Second Chance
Readers will learn why Mason Cox's on-field glasses have become part of his identity and how the 34-year-old went from a Collingwood delisting to one game from a second AFL premiership with Fremantle.
Mason Cox wears glasses on the field. The exact reason he wears them has not been confirmed in reporting about his career, but that has not stopped them from becoming part of his on-field identity. ABC News reports that he was plucked out of the United States to play for Collingwood, one of the biggest clubs in the country. He played 139 games for the Magpies. Then Collingwood delisted him. At 34, his career appeared to be over.
The Door Reopens at Fremantle
A Fremantle injury changed the story. Ruckman Sean Darcy missed the round-six western derby with concussion. Cox took the opportunity and ran with it. He played 19 of the next 21 games and became a constant in coach Justin Longmuir's side.
His best moment came in September. In the preliminary final against Sydney, Cox kicked the go-ahead goal. That put Fremantle into the grand final against Brisbane and gave Cox a chance to enter rare company.
One Win From History
If Fremantle wins, Cox joins the small list of players who have won AFL premierships at two different clubs. He also becomes part of an immortal Dockers team, a phrase that would have seemed impossible when he was delisted.
The glasses are still a talking point. They make him easy to spot. But the second chance is the bigger story. A player whose career was all but over now stands one game from a second flag.