The Cox-led era at the Swans began with a 14.12 (96) to 11.10 (76) defeat in the season opener at the SCG on Friday.
It was the former West Coast legend's first AFL match at the helm after taking over from Sydney's longest-serving coach John Longmire.
"To get to a position in the last quarter and let it slide the way we did was disappointing."— AFL (@AFL) March 7, 2025Hear Dean Cox evaluate his first game in charge of Sydney: https://t.co/tTnVIMjHJS pic.twitter.com/gKN9Nt4AtU
A new-look Sydney side looked primed to pull off a second-half comeback and gift their new coach a win before heavy rain curbed their momentum.
The Swans had kicked five goals to two to make it a five-point game at three-quarter time, largely helped by Will Hayward nullifying Hawthorn captain James Sicily.
But the crafty defender swung forward in the final term to throw off the Swans line-up and had the final say with the sealer, while the hosts crumbled under the pressure.
Cox, a long-time assistant under Longmire, readily admitted to imperfection in the hot seat.
"It's a little bit different - you can always have decisions that you can throw up, but you actually have to action them now," Cox said.
"On top of that, it's always about the collective of your message.
"Previously, it was specifically to a line or a group of players. Now, it's to the whole team.
"It was my first official game so no doubt I've got some things wrong. We'll have a look at that.
"We review not only the way the players play, but what we do as well, and we want to make sure that we're giving them the best chance possible."
Still, Cox remains realistic about the road ahead as he looks to implement his defence-first game plan.
"It will take a little bit of time. It'll be clunky," Cox said.
"For parts of it, we were really good. We forced them long down the line and stopped their uncontested mark chains.
"And then for parts of it, we let ourselves down again.
"That's the cohesion that we need between all lines.
"We need to make sure that we all know we defend as an 18-man unit. That's really important. The best teams do it."
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