Brennan Cox has gone a long way to rectifying form concerns after breakout 2022 season, writes ELIZA REILLY.
Brennan Cox was cast in a minor role the last time Walyalup tuned into the Tom and Jerry Show, but the key defender will be a main character when premiership Cats Tom Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron grace Optus Stadium on Saturday.
In what was a season-defining win last season, Walyalup defeated Geelong at GMHBA Stadium by three points in a thriller. Alex Pearce kept Hawkins to two goals while Griffin Logue was the perfect match-up athletically for Cameron, keeping him scoreless.
Likely to take Logue’s place on Cameron, Cox is ready to rise to the challenge. But the 24-year-old believes it will take all 22 Dockers to quell the influence of the Cats’ star act as Walyalup’s back six and team defence starts to strangle opposition again.
“They’re up there. I’d probably put them at number one,” Cox said when asked where the duo ranked among the AFL’s best forward combinations he had faced.
“(Harry) McKay and (Charlie) Curnow at Carlton and (Josh) Kennedy and (Jack) Darling at the Eagles (are around the mark) … but with the form they’re in now, Hawkins and Cameron would have to be top two.
“We’ll take a back six approach. We know that Cameron likes to get up higher and get involved in ball use a bit more whereas Hawkins will play that deeper role. It might mean mixing and matching at times. But when Cameron pushes high, we might look to hand him over to a midfielder and try and stay back a bit. We’ll see what they throw at us but it’ll definitely be a whole team approach, not just the back six.
“It starts in the midfield. It’s a bit harder when teams come streaming out of the middle. The mids and forwards‘ ability to put pressure on the ball has made our lives a bit easier. (Earlier in the season) we conceded a fair few entries and the ball was streaming out. It’s bloody tough to defend.
“We weren’t able to work together as much when it was coming in quickly. But we’ve really turned that around. We’re able to play to our strengths and be more proactive as defenders.”
A brutally candid Cox has bounced back after a slow start to the season. A career-best 2022 season saw Cox named in the All-Australian squad and finish runner-up in the Dockers’ Doig Medal count.
While Cox doesn’t believe those individual accolades applied any more pressure, he did concede he has been forced to fight his way out of a form slump.
“I didn’t start as well as I would’ve liked this year. I was a bit low on confidence, especially those middle rounds after the first two games,” Cox said. “I had a good chat with JL (Justin Longmuir) about what I do when I’m playing at my best and those focuses have been at the front of my mind going into the past two games.
“I focus a lot on my preparation during the week so I know I’ve done everything and can go out there with a bit of freedom. Routine is a big thing for me and I do the same thing before every game.”
Cox’s woes were symptomatic of Walyalup’s 2-5 start to the season. The Dockers are refusing to talk finals just yet but a third straight win would finally even out the club’s win-loss ledger after defeating Hawthorn and Sydney in the past fortnight.
“As a young team, we did have expectations coming into the year. And losing those games early put a bit of doubt in our minds. But JL (Longmuir) spoke to us about playing with some freedom and dare,” Cox said.
“We’ve gone out the past two weeks and really hunted the ball. The past two weeks, we’ve got some real confidence back in the way we’re attacking the game and the ball. That’s back to our best. A lot of us boys have our confidence back and now we’re looking to beat the Cats.”
Contracted until the end of next season, Cox also hinted his time in purple is set to continue beyond 2024. A South Australian originally, there has been some speculation Cox may consider a move home. But Cox is considered a key pillar of the Dockers’ desire to win a premiership by 2025.
“I actually spoke to him (manager) last week about contract news so we’re just beginning discussions at the moment but I’m really happy with Fremantle at the moment,” he said.
