Cox, Miller join the 300 club
Dean Cox will become the 39th West Australian - and 13th Eagle - to play 300 senior games when he runs out for West Coast against the Western Bulldogs tomorrow.
His feat will come a day after South Fremantle veteran Kris Miller joins the exclusive group by playing his 300th game at club and State level.
Cox has carved out an outstanding AFL career in which he has played 273 times for West Coast after starting at East Perth, where he made 26 appearances more than a decade ago.
He was an Eagles rookie in 2000, but was promoted to the East Perth league team that year only after West Coast coach Ken Judge insisted on his elevation.
Royals coach Tony Micale was initially reluctant to play the gangly 18-year-old ruckman, but was rewarded when Cox won the Simpson Medal in East Perth's grand final win.
"I thought he was not ready to play but Judgey made it clear that I would coach him in the league team that week or someone else would coach him in the league team that week," Micale recalled during his most recent stint at East Perth.
"He went on to play just about every game that season and win the Simpson. It was a valuable lesson about the rewards that can be gained by selecting players of talent and allowing them to lift to the level of the competition."
Champion rover Barry Cable heads the list with 404 matches for Perth, East Perth, North Melbourne, WA and Victoria.
The 300 club includes another dozen West Coast representatives whose games in the AFL, WAFL or SANFL, as well as State appearances, took them to their triple centuries.
The West Coast members of the 300 club are Eagles record holder Glen Jakovich (276), Guy McKenna (267), Drew Banfield (265), current player Darren Glass (262), Peter Matera (253), Dwayne Lamb (151), Ryan Turnbull (129), Daniel Chick (103), Steve Malaxos (66), Jarrad Schofield (63) and foundation players Ross Glendinning (40) and Rob Wiley (18). Peter Bell and Schofield are the only Fremantle players to make 300 senior appearances.
Bell's career comprised 163 games for the Dockers, 123 for North Melbourne, 49 for South Fremantle and three for WA.
Schofield played 12 games for Fremantle amid a career that included great success at Port Adelaide and Subiaco.
Miller, who was on the West Coast rookie list but did not play a match for the club, played 153 times for East Fremantle before shifting to the Bulldogs, were he has made 145 appearances.
His sole WA game in 2002 has taken him to the verge of his triple century, which will be achieved in South's opening match against Subiaco today.
He is due in round two to become just the sixth player to play 300 WAFL games.
