AFL Player #13: Nik Cox 🦄 - Skipper called him 'the Unicorn' in an interview (confirmed!)

[Beerfish]

Contract Status: Out of contract 2024
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 6, Rick Ross

 

[ant555]

Will be a star if they keep in at half back. He can play flank while he develops but I just think he has the tools to be a gun CHB.

 

[fishardansin]

199cm? Does anyone have the heart to tell Luke Darcy?

 

[Cup_o_Jobe]

With apologies to Laverde, I wouldn't be mad if our back 7 looked something like this by round 23

Ridley Zerk McGrath
Redman Reid Cox

Def rotating off bench: D'Ambrosio

 

[ghostdog]

With apologies to Laverde, I wouldn't be mad if our back 7 looked something like this by round 23

Ridley Zerk McGrath
Redman Reid Cox

Def rotating off bench: D'Ambrosio

If Reid isn't there, is he in Gumbleton territory? Laverde and Stewart would seem to be in no-man's-land if Reid and Cox, Jones or Weideman are getting regular games. I can't see either being happy to play VFL.

 

[owen87]

If Reid isn't there, is he in Gumbleton territory? Laverde and Stewart would seem to be in no-man's-land if Reid and Cox, Jones or Weideman are getting regular games. I can't see either being happy to play VFL.

Reid is ruckman height, if he was a Ruck we wouldn't expect him to be playing regular AFL games by now.

If he gets continuity this season I think he'll start to really show his talent in 2024 as he gets to a weight to hold his own against other talls.

 

[Cup_o_Jobe]

Reid and Cox have both had a rough trot with injuries, yet both have shown enough I think to trust that if and when they get a clean look at a dozen or more games in a row, they'll deliver the goods.

 

[Zach Package]

wtf two ridleys?

I’m not sure why you wouldn’t want as many Ridley’s as humanly possible.

Everyone being capable of winning the footy in the air, everyone capable of switching onto bigger or smaller players and everyone capable of distributing by foot is the way of the future.

I can understand why he started on the wing but it would have made just as much sense for him to spend a bit of time running around at half back on his own racking up intercept marks and getting confidence in spreading the ball around with little regard for an opponent.

 

[owen87]

I’m not sure why you wouldn’t want as many Ridley’s as humanly possible.

Everyone being capable of winning the footy in the air, everyone capable of switching onto bigger or smaller players and everyone capable of distributing by foot is the way of the future.

I can understand why he started on the wing but it would have made just as much sense for him to spend a bit of time running around at half back on his own racking up intercept marks and getting confidence in spreading the ball around with little regard for an opponent.

He's not a great one on one player, and would get monstered by genuine KPF's?

 

[Zach Package]

He's not a great one on one player, and would get monstered by genuine KPF's?

He destroys Naughton every time he plays on him.

The endgame would be actually allowing the backline to hunt the footy in the air and take proactive position through pressure up the field.

The prime example being the Geelong and Sydney gf with both back lines basically exclusively made up of 188cm+ hyper mobile overhead marking types, and that’s essentially what Cox is to a tee. It’s the way of the future.

 

[owen87]

He destroys Naughton every time he plays on him.

The endgame would be actually allowing the backline to hunt the footy in the air and take proactive position through pressure up the field.

The prime example being the Geelong and Sydney gf with both back lines basically exclusively made up of 188cm+ hyper mobile overhead marking types, and that’s essentially what Cox is to a tee. It’s the way of the future.

I don’t disagree, but you do need a player or two back there who can genuinely defend and isn’t just an intercept player.

Reid should be a strong defender when he’s finished growing, Laverde is pretty good defensively, and McGrath and Kelly are both good as well.

 

[Vindicater]

I don’t disagree, but you do need a player or two back there who can genuinely defend and isn’t just an intercept player.

Reid should be a strong defender when he’s finished growing, Laverde is pretty good defensively, and McGrath and Kelly are both good as well.

Ridley can genuinely defend. You would absolutely love 4 of him in your backline with a McGrath and Saad type for speed.

 

[owen87]

Ridley can genuinely defend. You would absolutely love 4 of him in your backline with a McGrath and Saad type for speed.

Ridley’s defending is ok, it’s definitely not his strongest asset. The coaches have pushed him to play a more defensive role in the last season or so to improve that.

 

[crackers65]

This thread is titled Nik Cox. Anyone know how he went playing half back?

 

[fishardansin]

Ridley’s defending is ok, it’s definitely not his strongest asset. The coaches have pushed him to play a more defensive role in the last season or so to improve that.

I think Ridley playing that role was more a matter of necessity. With Stewart and Francis, both being either injured or tried up forward, and the Zerk not being a viable option until 2nd half of the season left few other options to play as KPD. Ridley has that string to his bow, but if he's still playing as KPD in 2 or 3 years, then something has gone wrong with Zerk, Reid, Cox and Hayes.

What is interesting is if Ridley and Cox are both A-grade interceptors, two of Reid, Lewis and Zerk are holding down KPD roles and McGrath and plus D'Ambrosio are playing as the small defenders, what does Redman do? Personally, I think it gives us options with Redman, McGrath and Cox. All three could play a defensive role on half-forward or the wing with a horses-for-courses approach. If the opposition has a speedy Gonzales forward then McGrath must play back. If the opposition has an intercepting tall defender of Fletcher/McGovern quality then Cox could float around and try to intercept the interceptor. If the opposition has a tall accumulator on the wing or half-back then Redman could take them out of the game.

The other option is to keep our mind open to Cox being a hard running half forward of the Reiwoldt mold. The only time I can remember Essendon having something like that was Stewart in 2017 and I always felt like he was our barometer that year. If he took a few marks up on the wing we were moving the ball quickly and Hooker was getting marking opportunities one out. However, if Cox does go that route, I still want him to find his feet at AFL as a defender because that is an easier role and a better chance for him to build the long term confidence.

 

[Old man fletch]

Ridley’s defending is ok, it’s definitely not his strongest asset. The coaches have pushed him to play a more defensive role in the last season or so to improve that.

Didn't help him that he was played as a KPD some games and playing on guys taller than him

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Ridley’s defending is ok, it’s definitely not his strongest asset. The coaches have pushed him to play a more defensive role in the last season or so to improve that.

That’s ok, we’ll have a new coach soon and he’ll change that again.

 

[yodellinhank]

That’s ok, we’ll have a new coach soon and he’ll change that again.

Scott is going to play everyone in their best position. 18 blokes floating across half back without an opponent.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Scott is going to play everyone in their best position. 18 blokes floating across half back without an opponent.

Sadly too late for Francis

 

[fishardansin]

Scott is going to play everyone in their best position. 18 blokes floating across half back without an opponent.

We'll build the wall and go for the shake-and-bake blitzkrieg.

 

[owen87]

I think Ridley playing that role was more a matter of necessity. With Stewart and Francis, both being either injured or tried up forward, and the Zerk not being a viable option until 2nd half of the season left few other options to play as KPD. Ridley has that string to his bow, but if he's still playing as KPD in 2 or 3 years, then something has gone wrong with Zerk, Reid, Cox and Hayes.

What is interesting is if Ridley and Cox are both A-grade interceptors, two of Reid, Lewis and Zerk are holding down KPD roles and McGrath and plus D'Ambrosio are playing as the small defenders, what does Redman do? Personally, I think it gives us options with Redman, McGrath and Cox. All three could play a defensive role on half-forward or the wing with a horses-for-courses approach. If the opposition has a speedy Gonzales forward then McGrath must play back. If the opposition has an intercepting tall defender of Fletcher/McGovern quality then Cox could float around and try to intercept the interceptor. If the opposition has a tall accumulator on the wing or half-back then Redman could take them out of the game.

The other option is to keep our mind open to Cox being a hard running half forward of the Reiwoldt mold. The only time I can remember Essendon having something like that was Stewart in 2017 and I always felt like he was our barometer that year. If he took a few marks up on the wing we were moving the ball quickly and Hooker was getting marking opportunities one out. However, if Cox does go that route, I still want him to find his feet at AFL as a defender because that is an easier role and a better chance for him to build the long term confidence.

Long-term Cox might still be used at a utility, but he needs to grow in to that it seems.

Giving him some continuity at HBF / CHB then when he's bigger and stronger maybe he's used like Blicavs where an ultra-tall, ultra-athletic type can just roam the ground filling in wherever needs to be filled. Blicavs even played as a genuine starting midfielder during the GF when he wasn't starting in the ruck, but it's taken a while for him to get to that point.

Westhoff did similar at Port as he got older.

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

Injured again? Apparently in rehab group at training.

 

[Call Me Cake]

Yeah ankle. But ankle injuries are weird cos you can be out for weeks/months or start moving again in a few days. Appearantly didn't use crutches, so that's at least a sign.

 

[yodellinhank]

Appearantly didn't use crutches, so that's at least a sign.

of mismanagement.

 

[ghostdog]

Injured again? Apparently in rehab group at training.

I read somewhere that there are question marks on the quality of the surface at Tulla. Take it with a grain of salt though; I don't remember where I read that.

 

[Beerfish]

I read somewhere that there are question marks on the quality of the surface at Tulla. Take it with a grain of salt though; I don't remember where I read that.

Here?

It's certainly been mentioned a number of times