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Mason Cox squeezes in his AFL trial

  • Friday, May 23 2014 @ 08:15 am ACST
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When you are over 211cm tall you probably have plenty of squeeze in moments. Be it airline seats, doorways or beds things shorter mortals take for granted take some adjusting to fit as best as possible.

This week Mason Cox has come out from the US to trial with four Melbourne AFL clubs (and interview with Fremantle from Melbourne) squeezing in his trails between his college graduation as an engineer and beginning a career offered by Exxon Mobil back in the US.

Images courtesy AFL Media.

(Full audio of Mason's press conference at AFL House below)

No doubt his keen interest and high skill levels were a factor in the AFL wanting to get Mason down to Melbourne, but of all his "tools" his extreme height puts him up there with the dominant ruck giant of Fremantle, Aaron Sandilands.
 
The US Combine in LA has again turned up a good list of high performance athletes not good enough to go on to pro US sports. But the recruiters from AFL clubs that did go to LA liked what they saw this year as much or more than the previous two official outings.
 
Kevin Sheehan confirmed that the AFL haven't got their eyes set on just the biggest fish in this year's net and others will come out to trial and ultimately be on show for all the club's to look at come the National Draft combine in Melbourne in October. Cox's hastily organised trial though looks like it may yield more immediate gratification with club's set to make their (outside the salary cap, so no squeeze there) offers to Cox with a possible signing on happening within the week.
 
The Texan says he is serious about considering an Aussie rules future, and he will need to be with most of the International Rookies being on the ground at AFL clubs before they even look like being a chance at senior team selection. None of the Americans before him including Shae MacNamara, Eric Wallace, Patrick Mitchell or Jason Holmes have played a regular AFL senior match.
 
If he does choose a life as an International Rookie AFL footballer, Cox will be hoping to squeeze past all of them.