Mason Cox free to play after successful tribunal challenge

Tom Naghten

•
Mason Cox free to play after successful tribunal challenge image

Collingwood big man Mason Cox is free to play in Saturday's grand final rematch against West Coast after being cleared at the tribunal on Tuesday evening.

Cox was originally hit with a one-match ban for rough conduct against Dylan Grimes in the last quarter of the Magpies' Thursday night win over Richmond.

Collingwood opted to challenge the ban and it paid off, clearing the 211cm American to take on the Eagles.

MORE:  'Off-the-ball' free kicks 'destructive' to the game

AFL counsel Jeff Gleeson argued that Cox made a deliberate move towards Grimes and an intentional act to bump the Richmond backman.

Cox and his representative, Robert O'Neill argued that he was simply bracing and the impact was negligible.

The Tigers medical report also showed no symptoms of concussion from Grimes.

It took the four-man panel just six minutes to find Cox not guilty, downgrading the charge from intentional to careless and seeing Cox hit with a $3,000 fine.


 

Funnily enough, the only player to be suspended from round two was Grimes, who earned himself a one-week break after collecting Jamie Elliott with an elbow/forearm shortly after the Cox incident.

 

Tom Naghten

Tom Naghten Photo

Tom Naghten is a senior editor at The Sporting News Australia where he's been part of the team since 2017. He predominantly covers boxing and MMA. In his spare time, he likes to watch Robbie Ahmat's goal against the Kangaroos at the SCG in 2000.