ARRIVING at Wolves days after learning he wasn’t needed at home town club Hull KR did not faze Jordan Cox.
The 23-year-old has a heightened sense of perspective, and understandably so after being told he may die four years earlier.
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” says the 6ft 4in prop forward, whose spleen burst during a youth game at Wigan in 2012.
“I was ill before we played and got told not to play. But I did.
“Your spleen regulates your immune system, so it was in overload. Because I carried on playing my heart was pumping so fast I lost seven pints of blood and it was all just sat in my stomach.
“I kept blacking out and couldn’t understand why, so they took me to hospital. I rang my mum, she drove from Hull to Wigan in an hour!”
With his blood pressure dropping to 30 over 15, a teenage Cox feared for his life.
“The doctors said ‘listen lad, if we don’t get you in now you’re going to die’,” he added.
“The last thing I remember before they give you the milk to put you to sleep is thinking, ‘this is it, I’m finished’.
“I woke up to my mum crying and when I looked at the surgeon her white overalls were covered head to toe in red, which was my blood.
“Afterwards she told me I had flat-lined for three to five seconds, so they had to resuscitate me and bring me back around.”
Sporting a scar the length of his stomach, Cox made an incredible return to action with Hull KR inside three months.
“It put a lot of stuff into perspective,” said the former England Knights man. “But it’s nothing that affects me now.
“Luckily I was back playing within three months and played the last four games of the year.”
As matter-of-fact about the experience he is now, Cox’s biggest conundrum when he moved to Warrington last week was what to make for dinner.
“It’ll be the first time I’ve cooked my own tea,” he laughed. “So I’m kicking on now and growing up I guess!”
But, despite a lack of experience in the kitchen, Cox has a mature head on 23-year-old shoulders and intends on learning from the mistakes he feels led to his exit at Rovers.
“I was kicking on quite well in 2013 and got picked for England Knights again, but had to pull out to get my shoulder done,” he said.
“Then, in 2014, I was playing regularly under Craig Sandercock until he got sacked and all of a sudden it seemed to go downhill.
“I stuttered and stalled a bit last year, but luckily I’m only 23 and have time on my side. I’m hoping to kick on and make up for lost time.”
He is confident the competition for places at Wolves will help him reach his potential.
“Competition always brings out the best in people. If not you get too complacent and rest on your laurels,” added Cox.
“I think I was guilty of that a bit back home at Rovers, as per se I had my feet under the table. Growing up now and looking back I can see I took it a bit too easy at times and didn’t push myself.
“I realise that now and I won’t be making that mistake again here. I want to kick on.”
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