NRL grand final 2021: Damien Cook poised to make Panthers rue recruitment strategy

Penrith possess arguably the best rugby league nursery in the world – and you can’t keep them all – but they probably wished they kept this one.

Damien Cook in action for the Panthers in the Toyota Cup.

Penrith’s junior revolution has transformed them into an NRL powerhouse – but it also may have cost them New South Wales and Australian hooker Damien Cook.

Cook’s winding path before he arrived at the Rabbitohs and became the top rake in rugby league is well known ahead of his first grand final appearance on Sunday, but his stop at the Panthers where he played two seasons of Under 20s in 2010 and 2011, is often overlooked.

With the Helensburgh product’s path to first grade at St George Illawarra blocked by then up-and-coming hooker Mitch Rein, he travelled west in an effort to crack the big time.

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Damien Cook in action for Penrith in the Toyota Cup.

“I didn’t see what he was going to achieve at that point. He’s a real testament to character, perseverance. He made it on the back of his own personal attributes,” said Alex Melville, who coached the young Panthers in 2011.

“Nobody recognised how good Damien Cook could be except for Damien Cook, and his pathway is because of his resilience, perseverance and strength of character.

“Cooky was a huge part of the side, he always led the standards and was super fit. He was a great teammate, one of those boys the fellas really loved playing with.”

By the end of the season Cook had played in every game and helped Penrith to win eight of their last ten alongside future NRL talents like Matt Moylan and Blake Austin, but their valiant finals charge fell short.

Damien Cook has made the Panthers regret letting him leave. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

But the club had already been transformed by then – Phil Gould’s arrival midway through 2011 as general manager of football changed the Panthers forever, and set them on the path to their current status as one of the NRL’s superpowers.

Their rise has culminated with back-to-back grand final appearances built on players developed in-house – but they’ve done it without Cook, who went back to St George Illawarra at season’s end.

“I often think about that and if I got it wrong, but there was a lot of turmoil at Penrith at the time. Gus came in midway through 2011 and turned the place on it’s head a bit,” Melville said.

“Cooky kind of got lost in all of that. Nobody got it wrong, he just got lost in the transition and the changeover of administration.”

The Panthers opted to sign Nafe Seluini ahead of Damien Cook.

“They had Kevin Kingston, who was one of the senior players, and they’d just signed a fella named Nafe Seluini from the Warriors and he looked like he was going to be a hell of a player.

“The best they could offer Cooky was part time, a train and trial deal with Windsor.”

Cook’s time in the wilderness wasn’t yet over – he made his NRL debut for the Dragons in 2013 before spending time at Canterbury in 2014-15 and landing at Souths for 2016.

Even then, he wasn’t put straight into first grade – it took until 2018 for Cook to land the starting hooker spot at Redfern, and from there he’s never looked back.

“He just needed a season or two in NSW Cup, to play against men and develop his game a little more,” Melville said.

“That’s what he did over the next few years at Saints and Canterbury, he’s a shining light for that competition.”

With Cook boasting a score of Test and Origin jerseys, as well as a Dally M hooker of the year award from 2018, a grand final ring is the last piece of the puzzle for the 30-year old.

HOW PANTHER FOUGHT BACK FROM SEX SCANDAL SHAME

Penrith hooker Api Koroisau has spoken of his grand-final “guilt” and admits his NSW Origin sex scandal, which put the entire NRL competition in jeopardy, was a career-defining wake-up call.

As he prepares for Sunday night’s grand-final against South Sydney at Suncorp Stadium, Koroisau opened up about his Origin anguish, admitting he is still fighting an “individual battle” against himself.

Koroisau will be a crucial weapon for the Panthers as they look to nullify razor-sharp Souths hooker Damien Cook in the decider.

He is the only member of Penrith’s 17-man squad to have won a grand final, ironically claiming a premiership with this week’s rivals, the Rabbitohs, after first-choice hooker Issac Luke missed Souths’ 2014 triumph due to suspension.

Apisai Koroisau and wife Amy.

But in July, Koroisau’s career was in tatters after he breached Covid protocols by sneaking a woman into Origin camp, triggering a two-match suspension and $35,000 fine from furious NRL bosses.

Koroisau was left gutted by the Origin drama which could have shut down the NRL premiership and says the incident was the ultimate reality check in his determination to be a leader at the Panthers.

“I’ve learnt a lot about myself through this season,” Koroisau said as he prepares to take on Souths rival Cook in a high-stakes grand-final hooking showdown.

“I had to learn a fair bit about me as a person.

“It’s one of those things where I will keep working on myself every day, wanting to be a better person.

“It’s important that I keep growing.

“It’s one of those individual battles I have to face … and I want to come out the other end.”

There is added motivation for Koroisau when the Fijian Test star runs onto Suncorp — seeking the fulfilment of a grand-final win he believes he would truly deserve.

The 28-year-old already has one premiership ring stashed away in his undies draw at home, but there is a hollow feeling to his 2014 grand final triumph over the Bulldogs.

Koroisau played 14 games in his rookie year that season, but he was only called into Souths’ grand final team after Luke was rubbed out for a dangerous tackle on Roosters rival Sonny Bill Williams in the preliminary final.

Api Koroisau says he feels guilty after winning a premiership in his rookie year at Souths in 2014 following the suspension of hooker Issac Luke.

Underlining the gravity of Luke’s suspension, Souths co-owner Russell Crowe has given the former Kiwi Test hooker the honour of ringing the 1908 foundation bell when the Rabbitohs run onto Suncorp on Sunday night.

Koroisau and Luke will be forever linked by their grand-final Sliding Doors moment and now, having amassed 144 NRL games, the Panthers hooker craves a premiership win he can truly own.

“To be honest, I still haven’t wrapped my head around winning that premiership,” he said.

“I have feelings of guilt. I took Issac’s spot (in the 2014 grand final) because he got suspended and I probably shouldn’t have been there.

“It shows how hard it is to win grand finals. That was my first year and I haven’t won another grand final since so it’s a tough thing to do.”

Koroisau says Penrith’s grand-final loss to Melbourne last year cut so deeply he can’t bring himself to watch a replay.

“I still haven’t watched the game,” he said.

“The guys had to watch bits and pieces but it was a struggle for me. To come all that way and not get the cookies on the big day takes a long time to get over.

“It really hurt. It stirs up so many emotions. I have some regrets. I wonder if I could have done more and made a difference.

“I don’t want to re-live what happened last year.

“We all want to get out there and make amends for last year. Losing a grand final just burns and you can’t get that feeling to go away.

“I want some redemption this year.”