Mason Cox is a “really good chance” to stay at Collingwood after Max Lynch’s trade to Hawthorn, according to his manager Liam Pickering.
Pickering revealed that Fremantle identified the 30-year-old ruck-forward as a potential replacement for Rory Lobb, who was keen to return to former club GWS before ultimately staying at the Dockers.
“At this stage, we’ll be talking this afternoon with Collingwood. He’s out of contract,” Pickering told SEN Mornings.
“There was a discussion with Fremantle over the weekend if Lobb had gone.
“I spoke to ‘Wallsy’ (David Walls) about it, Justin Longmuir had a chat with Mason because he knows him from Collingwood and Matty Boyd’s over there as well.
“If Rory had have gone to the Giants, it would have been real. I’ll speak to ‘Wrighty’ (Graham Wright) this afternoon.
“If Lynch got to Hawthorn, who they really wanted, Mason was a really good chance to stay, we knew that.”
Collingwood GM of Football Graham Wright addressed Cox’s future as he waits on a new contract.
“We’re in conversations with Liam Pickering at the moment and we’d like Mason to stay, but that’s certainly up to him and he might have some options around that as well,” Wright told reporters on Thursday.
“Pickers and I had some conversations around that yesterday, but we’ll pick that up today and see where it sits for him.
“We’re hopeful, but we’re mindful that there could be others who have interest as well
“We know he can play a number of roles, he’s almost 7 foot tall so he should be able to play in the ruck and we’ve seen him in that role before.”
Cox has kicked 93 goals in 76 games for Collingwood.