West Coast Eagles legend Dean Cox inducted into Australian Football Hall of Fame

Ed Chisholm

West Coast Eagles legend Dean Cox inducted into Australian Football Hall of Fame image

West Coast Eagles' legend and games record-holder Dean Cox has been inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

The ruck great's stellar career was recognised with the induction on Wednesday, along with Port Adelaide legend Greg Phillips, with the pair joining Lenny Hayes, Simon Black and Jonathan Brown as new inductees.

Cox, a six-time All-Australian, is widely considered one of the most legendary ruckmen of all-time, his incredible skill and finesse having a defining impact on the game's top ruckmen today. 

Now an assistant coach at the Sydney Swans, Cox has been elevated to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility after retiring from playing in 2014.

Cox's huge legacy is all the more remarkable given how he was overlooked in the rookie draft and picked up by the Eagles with the 28th pick in the 2000 rookie draft out of the Dampier Sharks in the North Pilbara Football League.

He would go on to record a club-record 290 games for the Eagles, play in two grand finals including his star performance in the 2006 premiership, and claim a best and fairest medal in 2008.

Meanwhile, Phillips, the father of AFLW star Erin Phillips, was an eight-time premiership-winner and 447-game player across stints with Port Adelaide in the SANFL, Collingwood in the VFL and South Australia.

The legendary defender captained Port Adelaide for three years from 1991, and skippered the club for its 1992 premiership-winning season. 

 

 

Ed Chisholm

Ed Chisholm Photo

Ed Chisholm is a content producer for Sporting News Australia.