Mason Cox has responded to his difficult grand final performance with a vulnerable open letter reflecting on his first season with Fremantle, insisting that contribution cannot always be measured by a statistics sheet.
The American ruck-forward had just two touches as the Dockers surrendered a 17-point lead to Brisbane in the closing stages of the decider. The Lions overturned the deficit with just over four minutes remaining to complete a premiership three-peat.
Cox played only 32 per cent of the match, despite Fremantle captain Alex Pearce suffering an Achilles injury at the start of the second half. Rainy conditions in Melbourne also proved unsuitable for the 211cm player, who had limited influence during his time on the field.
His performance came a week after he had turned towards the Sydney crowd at the final siren of Fremantle’s preliminary-final victory over the Swans, appearing to taunt opposition supporters.
Jack Riewoldt criticised Cox on the Monday after the grand final, saying: “If you do this sort of stuff — you shoosh the crowd, you wave goodbye, you send them off on their season — you’d want to turn up grand final day. And unfortunately for big Mason, he had a stinker on Saturday.”
Cox, who was given an opportunity by Fremantle after being delisted by Collingwood, where he played 139 games, addressed the criticism without referring directly to Riewoldt.
“The older I get, the more I realise contribution isn’t always measured by what shows up on a stats sheet,” Cox wrote. “There’s a different kind of fulfilment in helping the people around you grow in confidence, and hopefully helping them see in themselves what the rest of us already see in them.
“Sometimes your impact can go well beyond what most people will ever see.”
The 211cm forward also wrote about choosing which opinions to heed after facing challenges throughout his career.
“What I’m getting better at is understanding whose voices I let in, and continuing to listen to the ones that actually matter,” he said. “The people who have seen me at my best and stood beside me through my worst.”
Reflecting specifically on the grand final, Cox acknowledged his disappointment while expressing pride in Fremantle’s campaign.
“So yeah, Saturday hurts. I wish I could change parts of it. But I wouldn’t change the people I got to experience this year with,” he wrote. “I’m proud of this group and what we accomplished.”
Cox said the relationships built and lessons learned during the season should not be eclipsed by the result in Melbourne.
“The destination is what everyone sees. It’s a moment in time,” he wrote. “The journey is what shapes you long after that moment has passed.”
