Rabbitohs enjoying winning vibe as hooker Damien Cook eyes Origin berth
JUST like the lawyer in The Castle, Damien Cook is relying on “the vibe’’ to help him secure against-the-odds results for the underdogs.
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JUST like the lawyer in The Castle, Damien Cook is relying on “the vibe’’ to help him secure against-the-odds results for the underdogs.
The Rabbitohs hooker has had to wait until his sixth season in first grade to secure a permanent starting role, but is now on the cusp of State of Origin selection after leading his side to victory over the Knights in Newcastle on Friday night.
Cook is focused on delivering on his coach’s orders at club level, knowing if he can continue to produce in the red and green a call to blue may come.
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“It’s a goal of mine, I set that at the start of the year but those things will come off the back of playing consistent footy here at Souths,” Cook said.
“It’s just a really good vibe at the moment at training, winning helps that.
“We just want to keep being consistent and keep getting the wins up and if those things (Origin selection) happen off the back of that, I’d love the opportunity.”
Club captain and Maroons mainstay Greg Inglis said it’s the work behind the scenes that Cook puts in that has led to his consistent 80-minute efforts for the club.
Cook ran for 99 metres from seven runs on Friday night and crossed for a solo try. He leads the league for total tackles with 340 and sits sixth for average, while he is 11th in the NRL for tackle busts.
“All the fans see what he does in 80 minutes. I see what he does on the training paddock and around the club itself,” Inglis said.
“If he does get a run [in Origin], congratulations to him, but pretty sure he’s just concentrating on starting at nine for 80 minutes and he’s been going really well for us since round one.”
Friday night’s win moved Souths to fifth place on the ladder, where they’ll likely remain by the end of the round unless the Roosters put a 40-plus-point margin on Manly.
The Rabbitohs often rate among the favourites for most damaging pack or fearsome backline, but not so much the premiership contenders at this stage.
They continue to quietly go about their business and it’s a mode that is working well, according to Cook.
“We’re happy to be like that,” he said.
“We see ourselves as not only a top eight side but a top four side. We haven’t got the game completely right now but we feel like every week we’re building towards something.
“We’ve had a couple of off weeks, like against the Broncos, so just consistent footy for us and we feel like if we keep doing that we’re definitely going to be there at the end of the season.”