ESSENDON great Tim Watson has lavished praise on Bombers youngster Nik Cox after he announced himself against Sydney on Thursday night.<\/p>\n
Standing at 202 centimetres, Cox started on a wing and kicked an excellent running goal on his non-preferred foot before moving into the ruck later in the match, showcasing his versatility.<\/p>\n
Cox finished with 18 disposals and seven marks in the three-point loss to the Swans and has a bright future ahead of him at Tullamarine.<\/p>\n
Speaking on SEN Breakfast, Watson said the 19-year-old has all the tools to succeed at AFL level.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere\u2019s a kid over 200 centimetres tall, goes to Essendon during the pre-season, becomes the number one endurance runner, he was a kid who was fixated and dedicated to wanting to be an AFL player, so he had the right attitude,\u201d Watson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently, he interviewed extraordinarily well, which you would expect.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s quick, he\u2019s tall, he\u2019s got great endurance – he\u2019s almost exactly what you be looking for to play the modern game of football, and he\u2019s very skilful on both sides of his body.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s very competitive. I don\u2019t know if there\u2019s a box that he doesn\u2019t tick.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he\u2019s courageous too. For a string-bean kid there were a couple of times he positioned himself in front of packs to take marks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garry Lyon was particularly impressed by Cox’s stint in the ruck.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe embraced the run around in the ruck,\u201d Lyon said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Peter Wright was ineffectual\u2026 they had to get more competitive in the ruck, so they put Cox in and he was up and down the ground, marking in defence, he was pushing forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll be the NAB Rising Star (for Round 4), so that\u2019s the end of the Swans\u2019 run.\u201d<\/p>\n
Selected with pick number eight in the 2020 National Draft, Cox has played every game for Essendon so far this season.<\/p>\n
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