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MELBOURNE - An American, inspired by an Irishman, dominating Australia's indigenous game. It sounds like the beginning - or perhaps punchline - of a longwinded joke. But Mason Cox's transformation from Australian rules football novelty act to arguably the key player in Saturday's AFL Grand Final is no laughing matter. Drafted by Collingwood in 2014, the 212cm (6-foot-10) big man - the tallest person to ever to play AFL - has quickly developed into a powerful weapon, one who helped propel the Magpies into this year's Grand Final against West Coast after an astonishing preliminary final against reigning premiers Richmond. The 27-year-old Texas native and former Oklahoma State basketball player, having shown glimpses of talent as an uncharacteristically tall forward since his debut in 2015, dominated the Tigers in front of 94,959 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. A former college basketball and soccer player in the U.S., Cox made a mockery of several established Richmond defenders during his breakout game, prompting Collingwood supporters to lovingly chant "U-S-A! U-S-A!" as their team won through to this year's championship decider. "Every time I hear it, I kind of laugh. I enjoy it, but it's quite funny at the same time," Cox told reporters when asked about the crowd's reaction. "Like, c'mon, four years ago, would you ever have pictured someone chanting 'U-S-A' and holding flags up like that?"  Cox had not even heard of Australian rules football four years ago. He was signed by Collingwood as an international rookie after wowing talent scouts at the AFL's 2014 International Combine in Los Angeles. Initially unsure whether the AFL was "a legitimate sport," Cox took a leap into the unknown in committing to travel to the other side of the world and learn a new sport. "I remember being there [at the U.S Combine in 2014] ... trying out in a sport I'd never heard of and then making my debut two years later," the easy-going big man told ESPN in 2016. "I never would have dreamed of doing anything like this. So many things I've knocked off my bucket list in the past two years -- living in Australia, playing professional sport, international travel ... it's been a complete whirlwind." His remarkable transformation from gangly rookie to one of the game's most exciting prospects has brought back memories of another import who took the sport by storm -- former Melbourne Demons great Jim Stynes. Stynes, a native of Ireland, revolutionized the ruck position in the late 1980s and 1990s after converting from Gaelic football. Seven years after the Melbourne Football Club flew him over for a trial, having never played the sport, Stynes won the league's highest individual honour, the Brownlow Medal, in 1991. Tragically, Stynes died in 2012 aged 45 after a brutal and very public battle with cancer. His statue now stands proudly in the MCG's Avenue of Legends.  Cox arrived in Australia in 2014 but soon learned of Stynes' legendary journey and lasting legacy. Since then, the giant American has studied up on Stynes, soaking up stories and anecdotes from several who were close to the Dublin-born Demons star. Earlier this year, on the sixth anniversary of Stynes' passing, Cox tweeted his respects, finishing with #myG.O.A.T. Ahead of Saturday's Grand Final, Cox said he continued to learn more about, and draw inspiration, from Stynes. "[Former Irish import and ex-AFL international talent scout] Tadhg Kennelly was the first person who mentioned his name, being Irish," Cox said this week. "He [Kennelly] was one of the first people to get me over here in the recruiting [process] and I was just interested in his [Stynes'] story -- it's an amazing story. "I'm actually reading his book at the moment and I've met a few people that he writes about: Adam Ramanauskas, who's my agent, and [veteran sports photographer] Wayne Ludbey -- they're people I've been involved with and I had no idea were so connected with and close to him. I've had some conversations with them about his [Stynes'] life and what he was about and what he valued in life, and he had a unique perspective." Jason Holmes is as well credentialed as any to assess Cox's growing impact in the AFL landscape. Holmes became the first born-and-bred American to play AFL when he was selected for three late-season matches in 2015, showing promise as a high-leaping, combative ruckman. The Chicago native only managed two more matches before being delisted by St Kilda at the conclusion of the 2017 season. Holmes, who still lives in Melbourne, working at an insurance company and playing community football at an amateur level, broke new ground for Americans in Australia's indigenous game and has kept a close eye on the man he passed the baton to: Cox. "This is home for me, I have a girlfriend I love and we enjoy our life together here," Holmes told ESPN. "I watch a lot of his games and ... what he did last Friday, I just lost my mind. It was unbelievable. I remember his Combine in the States and I knew he had the talent to be a much better footballer than I would love to be. "We try to catch up [as often as is possible] and it's always good to have a chat or send some texts or calls. I thought about texting him during the game on Friday but I thought 'I don't want to jinx him!' so I sent him one after the game -- it was such an exciting moment. "It's a great story. [Cox is] highly intelligent, he's very well rounded -- he wants to see the world and experience life, which is what he's doing. He has a self-awareness, he has that confidence of course but he's still a very humble person and he's a really genuine and unique person."  Cox is unique, not just because of his towering physical status or his American accent that contrasts so sharply to the standard Australian drawl. His ability to learn and occasionally master the skills needed in AFL, and become a key plank in Collingwood's search for a record-equalling 16th premiership has shocked many, but his teammates have always believed in him. Almost to a man, they enjoy the fact he brings an outsider's perspective to a sport played almost exclusively by Australians. "Mason is a unique person," star teammate Brodie Grundy said this week at Collingwood's open media session ahead of the season finale. "What we love him for is he thinks more broadly than just football. He's a qualified engineer, he's no dummy, he brings a unique perspective on life and sport and we really value it." Cox's incredible physical and athletic gifts are obvious advantages when it comes to playing his adopted sport but a power of work from coaches, teammates and sports science staff was needed to get him up to the required level. Those who saw the effort he put in behind closed doors are unsurprised at his rapid transformation. "He was under no illusions when he came here - he didn't know if he'd ever play a game but to his credit, he's worked extremely hard and he deserves every success that comes his way," Grundy said. "From the very beginning, I saw all the extra work he did and I'm not surprised at the player he's become, and there's so much more room for him to grow. I'm so excited for him to shine."  Fellow Collingwood teammate Tyson Goldsack agreed. "It is surprising [in a way] but it's also not surprising, because he works so hard," he said. "He worked so hard even when no one saw what he was doing. [Former Collingwood assistant coach] Craig McRae did a lot of work with him in his first two years and he touted he was going to be a really good player. "It's great that he's kept improving, adding strings to his bow and it all came together at the weekend. Hopefully we get one more from 'Coxy' this weekend!" It all boils down to one game, between Cox's Melbourne-based Magpies and the Eagles from Perth. If Cox can help bring home a premiership for the sport's most fanatical fan base, there's every chance another chant of "USA! USA! USA!" will be ringing around the 100,000-capacity MCG.
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