Dean Michael Cox (born 1 August 1981) is a retired

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er and the current senior coach of the

Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a Austral ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

(AFL). Cox played a 290-game career with the

West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and first competed in 1987 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known ...

. Originally from Dampier,

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

, he debuted with in the

West Australian Football League The West Australian Football League (WAFL "waffle" or "W-A-F-L") is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting f ...

(WAFL) in 2000. Cox was recruited to West Coast with the 28th pick in the 2000 Rookie Draft and went on to win the Simpson medal as the best player in the 2000 WAFL grand final before being upgraded to the senior West Coast list. He made his AFL debut during the 2001 season, and played in West Coast's 2006 premiership side. A ruckman, Cox was named in the

All-Australian team The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-perfo ...

six times, including four seasons consecutively from 2005 to 2008, and was considered the outstanding player in his position throughout much of his career. He won West Coast's best and fairest award in 2008, and finished in the top three on four other occasions. Cox retired at the end of the 2014 season, finishing his career with 290 games, a club record, and 169 goals. Cox joined the Swans as an assistant coach in 2017, and succceeded John Longmire as senior men's coach in November 2024.

Early career

Cox was a naturally gifted sportsman who excelled at sports whilst growing up in Dampier, Western Australia. Played for Dampier Sharks. His uncle George Michalczyk, a former Australian rules player himself, recommended Cox to the club he began his senior career with,

East Perth East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that eas ...

. Cox played colts for East Perth in 1999 and at the end of the season was invited to train with the West Coast Eagles in their pre-season. He impressed enough for him to be rookie-listed, however he struggled in pre-season training and was criticised for being slightly uncoordinated. Meanwhile, he played senior football for East Perth. He began the season fifth in the order of an impressive list of ruckmen, but by season's end he had impressed so much he earned a place as the first ruckman in their grand final team and collected a

Simpson Medal The Simpson Medal is an individual prize awarded for Australian rules football in Western Australia. The medal has been donated by Dr Fred Simpson and family since 1945. Simpson Medals are currently awarded to the following players: *The best pl ...

for his efforts.

AFL playing career

West Coast Eagles

The Eagles then put him on their senior list and he made his AFL debut in 2001. Initially he showed few signs of his potential at that level. However, he was persisted with.

2005 season

He came of age during the

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

season, where he became a dominant player for the Eagles and is now considered one of their best. He topped the year off with a terrific

finals series Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

, living up to his high standards. Two incidents stand out in particular for Cox – one where in the Qualifying Final against

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

he took two saving marks in defence to secure the game in the dying moments, where his team got home by less than a goal. The other moment that stands out had the Eagles on the other end, where in the

Grand Final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Synonymous with a championship game in North Ameri ...

three weeks later, also against Sydney, he took a strong mark on the half-forward line and speared the ball in towards a pack in the dying moments.

Leo Barry Leo Barry (born 19 May 1977) is a retired Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League (AFL) with the Sydney Swans. Originally from Deniliquin, New South Wales, Barry attended Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview, before being d ...

took the game-saving mark from the kick, which secured the Swans a victory by less than a goal.

2006 season

Cox got off to a superb start to the season and was one of the premier players in the competition early. He continued his good form and established himself as one of the league's premier ruckmen, averaging over 20 hitouts and almost 20 disposals per game through Round 8 of the 2006 Season. However, in Round 13 he collided with a hard bump from Bulldog Adam Cooney, which left him with a broken collar bone. Cox returned to the side, and was a key figure in the Eagles thrilling 1 point win of Sydney in the

2006 AFL Grand Final The 2006 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Sydney Swans and West Coast Eagles, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 30 September 2006. It was the 110th annual grand final of the Austral ...

, where he dominated against Sydney ruckman Stephen Doyle and Darren Jolly. Cox played 21 games in 2006, taking 141 marks and kicking 14 goals.

2007–2014

Cox played 21 games in 2007 and all 22 in 2008 as the club missed the finals, in what was a turbulent few years. The departure of Ben Cousins and Chris Judd (Carlton) and questions surrounding the clubs culture meant that Cox had to step up. Many thought he would be appointed Captain for 2008, but the position was awarded to Darren Glass. Cox made the All-Australian Team in both of these years, continuing to be the dominant ruckman of the competition despite playing in a struggling side (mostly in 2008). He also did no harm to his reputation as a ruckman/midfielder, collecting 25 disposals or more 5 times in 2007, and 7 times in 2008, and regularly featuring among the best. Standout games included the Semi-Final against Collingwood in 2007 that went to extra time (which West Coast lost), where Cox collected 27 disposals, 9 marks, 29 hitouts and a goal. In Round 10 of 2008 against Collingwood, again an Eagles loss, Cox gathered 30 disposals, 7 marks, 36 hitouts and kicked two goals. Cox finished his career with 6,628 hitouts, an AFL record at the time of his retirement.

Playing style

Cox was a very versatile ruckman, who tends to cover much ground. Sometimes considered to be the Eagles 'fifth

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

', Cox is a modern example of a mobile ruckman. He effectively wins knock-outs and can assist the likes of midfielders

Daniel Kerr Daniel Alan Kerr (born 16 May 1983) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played 220 games for the club between 2001 and 2013, as a hard-running inside midfield ...

, Matthew Priddis and Matt Rosa. Cox was widely considered as the premier ruckman of the competition, as seen by his selection in six

AFL coaching career

Sydney Swans

Cox joined the

as an assistant coach under senior John Longmire at the end of the 2017 season. On 26 November 2024, two months after the club suffered a 60-point loss to in the

, the club announced Longmire's resignation as senior coach and that Longmire would hand the senior coach role to assistant coach Cox, who becomes the 46th senior coach of the Sydney Swans.

Statistics

: , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, , 20 , , 17 , , 2 , , 2 , , 62 , , 69 , , 131 , , 38 , , 18 , , 184 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 3.6 , , 4.1 , , 7.7 , , 2.2 , , 1.1 , , 10.8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, , 20 , , 19 , , 7 , , 1 , , 96 , , 97 , , 193 , , 82 , , 17 , , 307 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 5.1 , , 5.1 , , 10.2 , , 4.3 , , 0.9 , , 16.2 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, , 20 , , 19 , , 10 , , 3 , , 125 , , 88 , , 213 , , 74 , , 12 , , 332 , , 0.5 , , 0.2 , , 6.6 , , 4.6 , , 11.2 , , 3.9 , , 0.6 , , 17.5 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, , 20 , , 23 , , 5 , , 10 , , 172 , , 142 , , 314 , , 117 , , 37 , , 512 , , 0.2 , , 0.4 , , 7.5 , , 6.2 , , 13.7 , , 5.1 , , 1.6 , , 22.3 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, , 20 , , 25 , , 22 , , 3 , , 257 , , 152 , , 409 , , 163 , , 29 , , 595 , , 0.9 , , 0.1 , , 10.3 , , 6.1 , , 16.4 , , 6.5 , , 1.2 , , 23.8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, , 20 , , 21 , , 14 , , 9 , , 233 , , 146 , , 379 , , 141 , , 27 , , 449 , , 0.7 , , 0.4 , , 11.1 , , 7.0 , , 18.0 , , 6.7 , , 1.3 , , 21.4 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, , 20 , , 21 , , 13 , , 9 , , 234 , , 163 , , 397 , , 155 , , 23 , , 449 , , 0.6 , , 0.4 , , 11.1 , , 7.8 , , 18.9 , , 7.4 , , 1.1 , , 21.4 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, , 20 , , 22 , , 9 , , 10 , , 233 , , 253 , , 486 , , 126 , , 34 , , 571 , , 0.4 , , 0.5 , , 10.6 , , 11.5 , , 22.1 , , 5.7 , , 1.5 , , 26.0 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, , 20 , , 13 , , 8 , , 7 , , 139 , , 145 , , 284 , , 75 , , 23 , , 346 , , 0.6 , , 0.5 , , 11.2 , , 10.7 , , 21.8 , , 5.8 , , 1.8 , , 26.6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, , 20 , , 22 , , 10 , , 9 , , 178 , , 194 , , 372 , , 91 , , 37 , , 502 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 8.1 , , 8.8 , , 16.9 , , 4.1 , , 1.7 , , 22.8 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, , 20 , , 25 , , 20 , , 17 , , 270 , , 176 , , 446 , , 137 , , 43 , , 716 , , 0.8 , , 0.7, , 10.8 , , 7.0 , , 17.8 , , 5.5 , , 1.7 , , 28.6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, , 20 , , 24 , , 28 , , 14 , , 238 , , 147 , , 385 , , 144 , , 39 , , 628 , , 1.2 , , 0.6 , , 9.9 , , 6.1 , , 16.0 , , 6.0 , , 1.6 , , 26.2 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, , 20 , , 22 , , 13 , , 18 , , 209 , , 140 , , 349 , , 118 , , 52 , , 597 , , 0.6 , , 0.8 , , 9.5 , , 6.4 , , 15.9 , , 5.4 , , 2.4 , , 27.1 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, , 20 , , 17 , , 8 , , 6 , , 142 , , 103 , , 245 , , 80 , , 39 , , 405 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 8.4 , , 6.1 , , 14.4 , , 4.7 , , 2.3 , , 23.8 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 290 ! 169 ! 118 ! 2588 ! 2015 ! 4603 ! 1541 ! 430 ! 6628 ! 0.6 ! 0.4 ! 8.9 ! 7.0 ! 15.9 ! 5.3 ! 1.5 ! 22.9

Personal life

Cox married Kerry Lavell at a ceremony at Leeuwin Estate in

Margaret River The Margaret River is a river in southwest Australia, southwest Western Australia. In a small catchment, it is the eponym of the town and tourist region of Margaret River, Western Australia, Margaret River. The river arises from a catchment ...

in December 2011, having dated her for three years previously. Outside of football, Cox co-owns a seafood restaurant, ''Beluga'', in

Claremont Claremont may refer to: Places Australia *Claremont, Ipswich, a heritage-listed house in Queensland * Claremont, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart * Claremont, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth * Town of Claremont, Perth * Claremont Airbase, an ...

, with

Andrew Embley Andrew Gerard Embley (born 27 June 1981) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is known for winning the Norm Smith Medal as the best player in the 2006 AFL Gran ...

, which opened in April 2011. In December 2012, Cox and his wife Kerry's first child was born.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Dean 1981 births All-Australians (AFL) Australian rules footballers from Western Australia East Perth Football Club players Living people People from Dampier, Western Australia John Worsfold Medal winners West Coast Eagles players West Coast Eagles premiership players Australian people of Polish descent West Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees VFL/AFL premiership players Sydney Swans coaches