A decade on, Adam Goodes remains a towering presence at Swans
Cox reflected on Goodes' courage in standing up against racism in his career and his pride in Sir Doug Nicholls round, which celebrates some of the game's great past and present indigenous footballers.
'Everyone knows the impact he had on the game and what he stood for, which is an unbelievable thing for someone to stand up for what they believe in, and Adam did that,' Cox said.
'I think it's a great opportunity for the club, the broader AFL community with a Sir Doug Nicholls round as well, to be able to acknowledge the impact that Indigenous players have had on this great game.
'That's not just the players that I've played against (for the West Coast Eagles) or the ones that are currently playing, it's the generations that have allowed young kids the dream and hope to play AFL footy, and Adam certainly did that for so many people.'
While the club draws strength from its past, Cox knows the Swans' immediate future hinges on key selection decisions this week.
The Swans are sweating on the fitness of club captain Callum Mills, who is yet to play this season, and forward Joel Amartey, who has missed the last four weeks with a hamstring injury.
Both players are close to returning, with Cox using Tuesday's training session to review both players. Last season Mills underwent major shoulder surgery, then suffered a calf injury before returning to play in the AFL without time in the VFL, playing just six more games before a hamstring strain ultimately kept him out of the grand final.
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This season, Mills has been dealing with a tear of the plantar fascia and Cox will review the history of his injuries before deciding whether to ease him back into the reserves or call him back to face Carlton.
'I think that's one thing you have to look at is what he did previously, when he came back, what injury was it compared to what he's done so far,' Cox said.
'So we need to look at all the metrics, it's a big decision for a footy club on your captain to get it right.'
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In a series of uncomfortable interactions, players find themselves telling journalists, coaches and club psychologists what they want to hear, while thinking and feeling something completely different. The authenticity will appeal to footy fans sick of hearing about players 'taking things one week at a time'. "I hate the whole media training thing that happened in footy - I really do," Jack says. "I think it deprived us of so many opportunities to have interesting characters." Jack admits there was nothing interesting about the front he presented during his playing days. "The way we were at the Swans was club-first: you are not to stand out. So I didn't really have a personality externally. "I did a lot of writing but I would never share it. I was always very secretive with my stuff." There were fears of standing out and concerns he'd be seen as uncommitted. "As a football player, your primary purpose is to play football and to win games for your team. "In my third year, when I was worried about my contract, I stopped going to uni part-time because I didn't want anything to be a distraction, or for people to think I was distracted." Like the characters in Pissants, Jack floundered in footy purgatory, unable to win respect in the game but feeling forbidden from finding an identity outside it. Much has changed for him since leaving the Swans in 2017 and the 31-year-old is pleased to see footy is moving forward too. The likes of Bailey Smith and Jack Ginnivan lead a new breed of AFL players praised by fans, media pundits and sponsors for showing their personalities. But one thing remains the same. "It's a lot easier to be who you are if you're a successful player," Jack says. Those not performing well rarely speak publicly - and if they do, it's typically to play the clown. 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"One of my least favourite things is when a footy player who didn't have a very successful career comes out and just takes the absolute piss out of himself and that becomes their kind of schtick," Jack says. "I've been there and it's f***ing tough. It hurts you deeply." He suspects some players still face the struggles depicted in Pissants. "At every club, there are five or six guys who are in this spot and I can just so clearly picture them in someone's garage drinking beers while the senior game is on because they just don't want to watch it." Having explored the complexity of his feelings about football across two books, Jack is ready to move on. He is working on a series of short stories that have nothing to do with sport and is excited to see where writing takes him. "It'll be interesting to see when the switch sort of flicks from 'football player turned writer' to just 'writer'. That would be nice," Jack says. "But I'm not going to crucify myself waiting for it to happen. It'll happen eventually."
