Mason Cox says he may need more than football to keep him in Australia. The Texas-born forward, who was let go by Collingwood last year and moved to Western Australia, said on Friday that his long-term future may depend on whether he finds a partner in the next few years.
“I think one of the biggest things for if I stay in Australia is whether or not I find a partner in the next few years,” Cox said, before adding that he has a contract in Australia for the next 18 months. “I’ve got a contract here for the next 18 months, and like my brother’s having a kid soon, so if I’m away from the family, there’s got to be a decent reason to be away from the family if I’m not playing footy anymore.”
The comments come after a year of change for the 35-year-old, who built cult status at Collingwood before moving west, won a premiership in 2023 and then made his Dockers debut in the derby. He followed that with two goals against Carlton the following week, a reminder that his game still travels even as his life outside football shifts. The move also makes this a timely question for Fremantle, which is chasing a club-record 10th straight win on Friday and still trying to settle how Cox fits into its plans over the next stretch.
Cox, who said his family remains a major factor in any decision about where he lives once his playing days are over, was blunt about what comes next. “No, seriously, put a few resumes together,” he joked when asked about life after football, before saying, “I’m looking at the call line, and nothing has come up, so that’s good.”
That mix of humour and candour is part of why he has remained such a visible figure in the league. For now, the former Collingwood cult hero is under contract and still in the middle of a season that has already taken him from Melbourne to Perth and back into the spotlight. But the bigger call may not be about his next kick. It may be about where the rest of his life ends up after the football stops.
