AFL Player 13: Nik Cox - cleared to return! - 11/11

[Beerfish]

Contract Status: Out of contract 2026
My Boy Draft 2024: Pick 6, Rick Ross

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

All reasonable points ant555.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

I do not think it is an over reaction to call him out on something that has been in his game in the last year. I held when I saw it on Anzac Day last year and also held when it was in his first few VFL games. I called it out in the VFL game against GC (from memory) at WH when in the first half he was on the wing and was simply standing 80 meters back and not putting himself in a position to contest the footy coming out of the back half and he just trailed up his opponent. He got a rocket at half time and his second half was better.

It has been the same at AFL level the last two weeks. He has been okay when played in the back half but back on the wing it has not just been dumb positioning it has been actually staying out of the contest. You do not see it on TV but it is as clear as white balls on a black dog when you watch from behind the goals on level three. The four Essendon supporters sitting behind me all commented that they did not realize how soft he was. It was the first time they had seen him live this year. They brought it up in conversation.

He has the tools but he needs to get it out of his game. As I have said I am not expecting him to smash the game apart with brute strength. I know he has to put on some size and that will take time if he does build up. However there is no excuse for not leading at the footy and just standing 80 meters back when you team mates are looking for options. You can not just look floating into the back half and taking the odd intercept mark when you get a clear run at the footy. If he is going to be a marking option on the wing then he has to be the outlet guy as much as possible and that is leading at the footy. It is not staying out of the contest like he is a 70kg 180cm first year player. Nick Martin is not a physical beast but he attacks the footy when it is his turn. Tsatas is no where near ready and his tackle attempts are a bit feeble right now but he keeps having a go at it.

I have held on this. I do not tee off on players very often and I certainly do not do it based on one game. I have had one very good footy judge and Essendon supporter mention it to me and I had another non Essendon supporting friend who has a long coaching history mention it too me at the Eagles game as we where siting together. This is not just something that I have seen jump out in one game.

I hope he gets it out of his game. He has ability. I do rate his potential. I am not going to say everything is okay. He will be fine. I am going to raise the question and cop it if I am wrong. I am not going to put the blinkers on and then in three years yell at the sky when he has failed. He is on watch.

I think it's definitely an over reaction to call him a "pea-heart", and to say he makes Weideman look like Leith Matthews. That's garbage, frankly

 

[ant555]

I think it's definitely an over reaction to call him a "pea-heart", and to say he makes Weideman look like Leith Matthews. That's garbage, frankly

I think I have explained my point very clearly. If you want to get stuck on the semantics then that is your issue.
At least Weideman kept leading at the footy.
But hey everything is fine . You have fought back against the bad man who dared to say something bad about the future of the club . Keep the blinkers and rose coloured glasses on .

 

[Pweter]

I'm wondering whether it's all upstairs for him and with a consistent run without a LTI he'll be alright.

Right now he wants to play but given he's missed so much footy he might be worried about getting hurt and missing more footy. It's a shit attitude but it could be the case so he picks and chooses when to go. That's something for the coaches to sort out and if he can't, seeya Nik and thanks for coming.

He basically has the rest of this season then it's a big 6 months for him over preseason heading into 2024, from both physical and mental maturity perspectives.

 

[Milanista28]

I'm wondering whether it's all upstairs for him and with a consistent run without a LTI he'll be alright.

Right now he wants to play but given he's missed so much footy he might be worried about getting hurt and missing more footy. It's a s**t attitude but it could be the case so he picks and chooses when to go. That's something for the coaches to sort out and if he can't, seeya Nik and thanks for coming.

He basically has the rest of this season then it's a big 6 months for him over preseason heading into 2024, from both physical and mental maturity perspectives.

It's a big pre season every year until he's 24/25, he's not going to be the finished product for a while, if he stays fit for the next 100 games we will start to see the player he can become.

And I'm certain if you put him up for trade the 1st 2 clubs who call are the Cats and Swans, 2 great development clubs.

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

I think I have explained my point very clearly. If you want to get stuck on the semantics then that is your issue.
At least Weideman kept leading at the footy.
But hey everything is fine . You have fought back against the bad man who dared to say something bad about the future of the club . Keep the blinkers and rose coloured glasses on .

Yes, but like an Easter Island statue and as such had no impact whatsoever. At least Cox looks like he might actually do something dynamic to shift the game in a meaningful way; Weid is just so damn stagnant.

 

[ant555]

Yes, but like an Easter Island statue and as such had no impact whatsoever. At least Cox looks like he might actually do something dynamic to shift the game in a meaningful way; Weid is just so damn stagnant.

Can not do much leading standing 80 meters from the footy. Weideman may have dropped everything that came his way but at least he kept leading up . Not too much to ask a young bloke to present at the footy.

 

[citizen-erased]

I do not think it is an over reaction to call him out on something that has been in his game in the last year. I held when I saw it on Anzac Day last year and also held when it was in his first few VFL games. I called it out in the VFL game against GC (from memory) at WH when in the first half he was on the wing and was simply standing 80 meters back and not putting himself in a position to contest the footy coming out of the back half and he just trailed up his opponent. He got a rocket at half time and his second half was better.

It has been the same at AFL level the last two weeks. He has been okay when played in the back half but back on the wing it has not just been dumb positioning it has been actually staying out of the contest. You do not see it on TV but it is as clear as white balls on a black dog when you watch from behind the goals on level three. The four Essendon supporters sitting behind me all commented that they did not realize how soft he was. It was the first time they had seen him live this year. They brought it up in conversation.

He has the tools but he needs to get it out of his game. As I have said I am not expecting him to smash the game apart with brute strength. I know he has to put on some size and that will take time if he does build up. However there is no excuse for not leading at the footy and just standing 80 meters back when you team mates are looking for options. You can not just look floating into the back half and taking the odd intercept mark when you get a clear run at the footy. If he is going to be a marking option on the wing then he has to be the outlet guy as much as possible and that is leading at the footy. It is not staying out of the contest like he is a 70kg 180cm first year player. Nick Martin is not a physical beast but he attacks the footy when it is his turn. Tsatas is no where near ready and his tackle attempts are a bit feeble right now but he keeps having a go at it.

I have held on this. I do not tee off on players very often and I certainly do not do it based on one game. I have had one very good footy judge and Essendon supporter mention it to me and I had another non Essendon supporting friend who has a long coaching history mention it too me at the Eagles game as we where siting together. This is not just something that I have seen jump out in one game.

I hope he gets it out of his game. He has ability. I do rate his potential. I am not going to say everything is okay. He will be fine. I am going to raise the question and cop it if I am wrong. I am not going to put the blinkers on and then in three years yell at the sky when he has failed. He is on watch.

i'll add....where does he fit?
He looked very tantalising in his draft year. And as a fan it's ok to want that talent, but a couple of years on and i'm still not sure exactly what he is.

Sounds like he wants to be a loose HB intercept. but we have Redman and Ridley for that.
CHB perhaps? But he's behind Zerk and has Reid and Hayes not far behind him.
For the points you've raised above, i see now why CHF won't work

 

[Don Won]

In last few pages he has gone from

To

 

[boncer34]

Still watches, doesn't seem confident in staying up or down. I loathe giving anyone free reign to fly everytime but maybe they do that to build his confidence.

 

[mike ross]

In last few pages he has gone from
View attachment 1773872
ToView attachment 1773869

What can I say? We're a fickle bunch

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

Can not do much leading standing 80 meters from the footy. Weideman may have dropped everything that came his way but at least he kept leading up . Not too much to ask a young bloke to present at the footy.

Totally agree, but that does not make him 'pea-hearted'. But perhaps I am misreading your earlier posts. In any case, he needs to do better, we just disagree in what ways and to what degree.

 

[ant555]

Totally agree, but that does not make him 'pea-hearted'. But perhaps I am misreading your earlier posts. In any case, he needs to do better, we just disagree in what ways and to what degree.

Pea hart was a throw away line. I think I explained it pretty well.

 

[ghostdog]

I'm wondering whether it's all upstairs for him and with a consistent run without a LTI he'll be alright.

Right now he wants to play but given he's missed so much footy he might be worried about getting hurt and missing more footy. It's a s**t attitude but it could be the case so he picks and chooses when to go. That's something for the coaches to sort out and if he can't, seeya Nik and thanks for coming.

He basically has the rest of this season then it's a big 6 months for him over preseason heading into 2024, from both physical and mental maturity perspectives.

Yep. Needs more YOLO in his game.

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

Pea hart was a throw away line. I think I explained it pretty well.

Yep, that's what I thought. All good.

 

[Kong]

In last few pages he has gone from
View attachment 1773872
ToView attachment 1773869

 

[Aido1979]

I don't comment much but read nearly everything on here and have done for a long time. Really poor comments made about the kid lately, showed glimpses over the last two games, some strong tackling and some good attack in the air, some good ball use and somewhat starting to find his feet, at times it's been patchy. Has come off a back injury which has a massive effect on your whole body, ability to train and confidence. He won't be fit enough to impact games as we'd hope due to this in 2023. One of the biggest problems being an Essendon supporter is Essendon's supporters.

 

[ghostdog]

I don't comment much but read nearly everything on here and have done for a long time. Really poor comments made about the kid lately, showed glimpses over the last two games, some strong tackling and some good attack in the air, some good ball use and somewhat starting to find his feet, at times it's been patchy. Has come off a back injury which has a massive effect on your whole body, ability to train and confidence. He won't be fit enough to impact games as we'd hope due to this in 2023. One of the biggest problems being an Essendon supporter is Essendon's supporters.

I don't think anyone was expecting to just slot in and impact games, but a willingness to compete is the minimum expectation. He's not up to it and many have agreed he should be in the VFL at the moment. And I think most are hoping he can have a solid preseason and do unicorn things again down the track. Only one person that I recall unequivocally said he was giving away his bandwagon ticket.

 

[Aido1979]

I don't think anyone was expecting to just slot in and impact games, but a willingness to compete is the minimum expectation. He's not up to it and many have agreed he should be in the VFL at the moment. And I think most are hoping he can have a solid preseason and do unicorn things again down the track. Only one person that I recall unequivocally said he was giving away his bandwagon ticket.

Many posters agreed he should be in VFL holds no weight at all. I agree he picks and chooses when to go but that may be a confidence and conditioning thing, one thing I do know is he hasn't been able to do any work in the gym or in the track whilst recovering from a back injury. They need to get games into the kid to battle harden his body, build confidence and are doing the right thing. Supporters need to temper their expectations and stop the unicorn sh$% it's just nonsense.

 

[Lore]

Quotes from his RSN interview yesterday;

"Coming from (junior football) I’d never had any injuries at all, so it was a bit of a shock and took a lot of work. To stay disciplined and do all the things I needed to do was tough. It’s hard when you just love footy so much and you want to be out there, it’s great to be finally back and I’m excited about what we can start to produce. We’ve got a great medical team at the club who are all really upbeat and keep you in good spirits, which is what you need."​

​

"I like to keep (my versatility as my strength), and you obviously want to get some continuity in a spot, but whatever I’m required to do in the team which helps me play a role, I’m happy to do. Whether it’s down back or in the midfield, I really don’t mind, but I spent most of my juniors down back, so I probably feel most comfortable there."​

​

"There is belief in our group that our best can match it with anyone, it’s just a matter of doing it more consistently. Being a ten-out-of-ten football team is what we’re aiming for, producing those matches as much as we can. The reality is we’re in the hunt, we’re where we want to be. ‘Scotty’ does love to fire you up, he’s good at motivating you, (there’s) no doubt he’ll have something to get us going."​

Cox enjoying continuity in return

Utility thrilled to be back in the mix.

www.essendonfc.com.au

 

[Keystone agony]

Spent most of my juniors back

 

[ghostdog]

Many posters agreed he should be in VFL holds no weight at all. I agree he picks and chooses when to go but that may be a confidence and conditioning thing, one thing I do know is he hasn't been able to do any work in the gym or in the track whilst recovering from a back injury. They need to get games into the kid to battle harden his body, build confidence and are doing the right thing. Supporters need to temper their expectations and stop the unicorn sh$% it's just nonsense.

Um, you literally have written that Cox "Has come off a back injury which has a massive effect on your whole body ability to train and confidence." Yep, good reason to build through the VFL.

"He won't be fit enough to impact games as we'd hope due to this in 2023." Yep, another good reason to build through the VFL, so actually, that point of view absolutely holds weight.

Ironically, the two viewpoints you've given hold more weight collectively than Nik Cox's body does, and they're your arguments. That's quite something.

And yes, he does pick and choose when to go, and I get that that's because he lacks confidence in his body. Now, given that we're still a chance for finals, and Scott has said numerous times that playing finals is the goal, wouldn't it be wise to play the guy who "hasn't been able to do any work in the gym or in the track whilst recovering from a back injury" in the VFL?

Wouldn't that be a more appropriate standard of competition at the moment for him to "get games into the kid to battle harden his body" and "build confidence"?

He's been selected recently because we've lacked connection between the arcs and Cox has the height to mark the ball. It's also been pretty clear, though, that he's not entirely ready and has possibly come back to the top level too soon.

That he should play in the VFL at the moment is therefore entirely reasonable, and actually is an excellent example of supporters tempering their expectations.

If he gets his body right, I have confidence that he could do some "unicorn sh$%" once again. He has that potential.

I think that puts paid to your melty nonsense. You good now?

 

[dank420_]

You good now?

Are you?

 

[ant555]

Are you?

I am .

 

[dank420_]

I am .

I must admit I was worried.