Eagles veteran Dean Cox is managing his workload well. Picture: Justin Benson-Cooper Source: The Sunday Times
LESS IS MORE: Dean Cox will take part in his first pre-season hit-out today. Picture: Will Russell Source: PerthNow
WEST Coast ruck general Dean Cox has said the injury battles of teammates and Dockers counterpart Aaron Sandilands have kept him vigilant with his own fitness, as he holds faith in a "less is more" mantra.
Cox has proven remarkably resilient in his 12 seasons at West Coast, having missed just 30 games, many of which came in his 2009 campaign (nine games) as he struggled with groin issues.
The 203cm ruckman holds the current consecutive games tally at the Eagles at 71 - a feat made more impressive, given he began building the streak as a 29-year-old and looks set to continue into 2013, now at 31.
In further evidence of his fitness, Cox will resume his role at the heart of the Eagles' set-up in today's NAB Cup Round 2 clash with Collingwood at Patersons Stadium, having recovered from a finger injury that sidelined him for West Coast's three-way opener with Fremantle and Geelong.
It is a fortune not shared by Sandilands, who at 30 has missed 19 games over the past two seasons and was recently ruled out for eight weeks with a hamstring tear.
Asked if the recent run of injuries to a player in a similar role and career-stage brought about thoughts of his own sporting mortality, Cox said it was a constant issue he had to keep on top of and credited his longevity to a "less is more" approach as his career wore on.
"You look at, obviously, Aaron, but also (Anthony) Morabito and any one of our players, (such as) LeCras last season and you do feel for them, but it's part and parcel of the game, unfortunately," Cox said.
"I think in the back of every player's mind is that they want to do everything possible to play AFL and do everything to hopefully not get injured.
"As you get a bit older, you do become more aware and more pedantic in your preparation to make sure that these things (injuries) don't happen.
"The body doesn't recover as well as it used to and you just want to make sure you're following the correct procedures.
"We speak about this around the footy club; players that have an unlucky run with injuries.
"When I was younger, I was always trying to do as much as I possibly could, plus extra away from the program.
"As I've got older, I sat down with (assistant coach) Scott Burns and he suggested that less is more, now, because your body can't handle the work of a 22-year-old.
"It's also about being smarter: picking and choosing the sessions, the drills, and sitting down with the coach and fitness staff to go through a program that ensures you're as fresh as possible throughout the weeks."
Today's game will also mark the return of Quinten Lynch to Patersons Stadium after the former Eagles premiership player last year accepted a two-year deal to help spearhead the Magpies' attack.
Cox, who played 11 of his seasons alongside the forward, said he and many of the Eagles shared a bond with Lynch that would not be broken by the black and white bars of Collingwood.
"It'll be a little bit different, but he did so much for this footy club... but I understand the nature of the game," Cox said.
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