GIVEN Shannon Cox had never seen the backline before arriving at Collingwood, he’s making a pretty good fist at becoming one of the Pies’ go-to men when bringing the ball out of the danger zone.

Not so long ago Cox appeared nothing like the running defender fans are slowly getting used to seeing in the black and white.

Even the man himself admits the switch – first initiated by Alan Richardson when Cox was making his way at VFL level with Williamstown – took some adjustment.

“He [Richardson] came up to me the day before the game and he goes ‘Coxy, I think we’re going to give you a run down the backline’,” Cox recalled.

“I said to him: ‘Well, do you want to win? Because I don’t really trust myself down there and I’ve never really played there’ and he said ‘Well, we’ll just see how you go’.

“I played pretty well that day and since then I’ve never been back forward. Mick [Malthouse] might give me a little cameo every now and then but very rarely do I get down there.”

That day when Cox impressed for Willy was the catalyst that set his career on a different course.

The 23-year-old former West Australian had always been talented but was searching for a way to make his mark.

In his younger days, he had envisioned himself playing a far different role should he ever make the big league.

Growing up he had played a lot of basketball – his first love – but had always been wary of playing Australian Rules for fear of hurting an ankle.

When he was finally coaxed into having a kick at Kojonup – about three hours south of Perth – he quickly made his mark.

“I was a ruckman until I got to South Fremantle,” Cox said.

“I broke my ankle until half-way through the year just after we got back from state 18s and then I moved to full-forward and I put on a bit of weight.

“So then I was a bit of Tony Lockett-type full-forward, happy to sit in the goal square and call it in one-on-one.”

Perhaps his time in attack – where the need to make each kick count is paramount – explains his neat disposal and the reason why the Magpies are so keen to get the ball in his hands when they gain possession deep in defence.

This season Cox has played each of his team’s three matches and is averaging 22 disposals.

While settling into his role hasn’t been a problem, he says he is still learning the ropes when it comes to the demands of life as an AFL footballer.

“I drive past KFC and I seem to put on weight,” he said.

“A lot of people just think it’s just the training and stuff [that keeps the weight off] but what I’ve really struggled with is the eating side of it.

“Growing up I just used to eat sausages and mashed potato and things like that but you can’t do it – that’s the toughest part for me.

“The training side of things, I love. Working one-on-one with Paul Licuria is not easy but you do get the rewards, so it’s just the eating side of things I’ve got to get a grasp on.”

The pre-season delivered a steep learning curve.

After training well on the club’s trip to Arizona, Cox admits he let himself go a little over the break.

When Malthouse enquired about his defender’s weight, the promising Magpie fessed up and was given a blunt ultimatum – shape up or don’t play.

Following his return, Cox enlisted Pies’ VFL manager and former Magpies player Paul Licuria to help him stay on the right path.

“I put on a bit of weight when I went home and I’ve come back and Licca’s absolutely smashed me in the gym, so I had a rude awakening since I got back,” he said.

“Me and Licca sat down and put a food plan in place and also put in some extra sessions … after training I’d do some weights and then go and do some extra running with him.

“And now I’ll say to him ‘What should I be eating in the lead-up towards the game?” and he’ll just tell me.”

Confident his off-field habits are under control, Cox is looking forward to helping the Magpies win games of footy. And if that means a career in defence, then he’s more than happy with that.

“Now I like the backline a lot more than the forward line,” he said.

“I still love kicking a goal [but] I had a shot against Melbourne (in round two) and I kicked out of bounds on the full, so the backman’s curse has come to me I think!”