Assessing the pass mark for Dean Cox in his first year in charge at Sydney

Is Dean Cox under pressure to deliver in his first season in charge of Sydney?

While most first-year coaches are given a grace period to settle in and get their feet wet, Cox takes charge of a team that finished as minor premiers before losing the Grand Final in 2024 under John Longmire.

Given that many still consider Sydney one of the premiership favourites, Kane Cornes and Sam Edmund discussed what the benchmark should be for Cox and the Swans in 2025 on SEN Breakfast.

Edmund: “We're familiar with senior coaches coming in, they get a honeymoon period or a grace period. Will Dean Cox get one of those at Sydney?”

Cornes: “To some extent, yes.”

Edmund: “A six-month blessing, three months?”

Cornes: “It depends on what you're saying, if they go from Grand Finalist to bottom four, then we're going to go, ‘Gee whiz, they got the wrong guy’.

“But if they make the finals and win a final, you go, ‘Ok, that’s not too bad for his first season’.

“It's got a bit of Chris Scott about it when he took over at Geelong, like this team is ready to go, so do you give him an out (if they fail)?”

Edmund: “If John Longmire was coaching next year, the benchmark would be getting to a Grand Final or winning a premiership … what is the benchmark for Dean Cox?

Cornes: “Well, they're not going to sack him after one year regardless of what happens. He's always got that.

“But I think he's got to be competitive and that's probably winning a final. I think that's going to be his pass mark.”

Cox has signed on at Sydney until the end of the 2028 season. Sydney begin their campaign with an Opening Round clash against Hawthorn at the SCG on Friday, March 7.