I walked off mid-session: how Cox lured Grundy to Swans

In what is a tantalising match-up, Grundy will go head-to-head with eight-time All-Australian ruckman Max Gawn in a battle of former teammates.

Grundy was meant to form a dream-team partnership alongside Gawn at the Demons.

But his time at Melbourne lasted only one season, with Grundy shipped off to Sydney at the end of 2023 after the Grundy-Gawn partnership failed to provide the expected spark.

Cox was still an assistant at Sydney in 2023, and the former West Coast ruckman played a key role in convincing Grundy to join the Swans.

"I walked off the training track and answered the phone call ... middle of a training session. That's how excited I was," Cox said of recruiting Grundy. 

"I tried to ring him before the session, and it was during the session (he called back), and I got the approval to walk off the track and have a conversation."

Grundy is averaging 19.6 disposals, 35 hitouts and 5.4 clearances this season, with his hot form helping Sydney build a dominant 6-1 start to the year.

The 32-year-old recalled this week the beer he had with Cox over the Christmas break more than a decade ago.

Grundy was a young up-and-coming ruckman with Collingwood at the time, and he immediately impressed Cox.

"I remember playing on him when he first came to the scene for Collingwood," Cox said.

"We had the same manager, so that sort of worked out to spend some time together over the Christmas break (when we had the beer together).

"The thing I love about Brodie is he's really inquisitive. He wants to work on his game and be the best player he can be. 

"On Sunday night I get the chance to hopefully celebrate and have another beer with him."

Melbourne have made an unexpected hot start to the season, with Gawn's stunning form helping lift the rebuilding Demons to a 5-2 record.

They welcome back Harrison Petty after the defender recovered from a suspected vestibular migraine that caused his bout of dizziness against Brisbane a fortnight ago.

Sydney have been boosted by the return of star midfielder Isaac Heeney (calf).