He has been the role model for the type of ruckman every club is looking to develop or recruit. Excellent in the hit-out department, but with the running power to be an extra midfield link man and great kicking skills.
The problem is that players with Cox’s height, aerial skills and ground level ability are very hard to find.
Agility with extreme height is rarely found in the same footballer.
About 80 times a game an umpire puts the ball back into play to be contested by the tallest players in the area, normally the two opposing ruckmen, with the aim of getting the hit-out and directing it to their team’s advantage.
Clearing the ball from the congestion around stoppages is the obvious aim. The question is what effect does the hit-out have on the end take away.
In my view, very little.
The value of hit-outs has always been the topic of much debate.
Firstly, let me admit to a long standing little man bias. I have long believed that the raw hit-out numbers have been one of the most useless stats in footy.
A good case study is Fremantle who with the 211cm and 123kg Aaron Sandilands out reaching and out bulking all his opponents get virtually every hit-out yet the Dockers are only eighth in clearances.
In Sandilands’ case his total dominance gives Fremantle little advantage because every ground level player on both sides would be mad if they were not watching his hand. Every team playing the Dockers know which ruckman will win the hit-outs and will position accordingly. The uncertainty of which ruckman will get his hand to the football is removed.
A ruck to midfielder hit out at centre bounces can occasionally see the receiver execute a clear and constructive disposal. An effective centre bounce clearance is still enormously valuable.
However at around the ground ball ups and boundary throw ins there could be 20 bodies within 10-15 metres of the contest. The first receiver at ground level, even if the intended target, is often immediately and effectively tackled and is dispossessed or forced to hurriedly hand ball.
A clearance stat is awarded to the first player to have a clear disposal. Most of the time the ball will be touched by a number of players before the ball is cleared but even more critical is which team eventually runs the ball into space away from the mass of bodies and can deliver by foot.
Basically the relationship between the hit-out and the clear take away is tenuous at best. The great ruckman/rover combinations of previous eras have been made largely redundant in the modern game.
This begs the question of what is preferable.
The big ruckman who might get 20 per cent more hit outs, like Sandilands, Darren Jolly or Steven King or the more agile types such as Drew Petrie, Patrick Ryder and Mitch Clark who might be 20 per cent better around the ground.
If you can’t have Dean Cox, who does both, the demands and structures of the modern game seem to be increasingly favouring the net value of smaller mobile rucks over the hit-out specialists.
Injuries to their main ruckmen has allowed the emergence of Ryder at Essendon and Clark for the Lions. Their great form is further evidence that while a lack of height and bulk will be a negative in the hit-out department, their extra work around the ground contribution is proving to be a major asset.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
