South Sydney hooker Damien Cook in the inspiration he draws from messages from his nephews
MOBILE phones and social media can be the downfall of an NRL player — but they can also be sources of heartwarming support, as Souths hooker Damien Cook can attest.
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THEY are the innocent yet heartfelt social media messages that arrive from the Middle East before every game to inspire a South Sydney champion.
The fresh and cute faces ask how many tries will be scored and who will win.
South Sydney hooker Damien Cook has spoken about the gorgeous WhatsApp video messages of encouragement he receives from young nephews Kody and Knox before each game for the Rabbitohs.
The father of Kody and Knox, Simon, Cook’s brother, is based in Dubai, working for Ecoventure, a sport and recreation company.
Distance however won’t keep them apart.
And it doesn’t end there for Cook, the NSW hooker. He is also sent messages from his other brother, Jonathan, who lives in London.
It is the world wide support unit pushing Cook toward grand final success this season.
Simon, Jonathan, Kody and Knox all rise early in the morning from the other side of the world to watch Cook play for Souths.
And each will be pumped and ready when Cook runs out for Souths in Saturday night’s grand final qualifier against Sydney Roosters at Allianz Stadium.
“My two nephews send me a video before every game,” said Cook. “They just wish me luck.
“They do it on Facetime but if I can’t catch them then, they send me a video through WhatsApp, just saying ‘good luck, try and score me a try’.
“They are normally telling me how many tries they scored in rugby the day before. Both of them love their footy. They are big supporters and they always put a smile on my face before every game when I watch their videos.
“My brother, Simon, he also played footy, is the big reason why I wanted to play footy when I was younger.
“He is one of my toughest critics. He is Dubai living it up, he loves it over there. He’ll probably never move back home.”
Cook remains particularly close to his brothers despite the distance between them.
“We still talk near every day. It’s hard having family over there but luckily through technology we can keep in touch,” he said.
“I have another brother (Jonathan) in London, they are all over the world. Jonathan is my biggest supporter. I never do a thing wrong in his eyes. It’s Simon who is my toughest critic.
“But I appreciate their support, they want to be over here watching me but they do their best by waking up in the early hours to watch.
“I keep in contact with both my brothers a lot through Facetime or they send messages before every game. I can definitely feel the support from around the world.”
Cook has enjoyed an amazing season.
From being a reserve grade just a few short years ago, Cook is now among the elite hookers in rugby league, a player who made his NSW State of Origin debut this year.
It has been in incredible journey for Cook, now readying himself for a preliminary final.
“It’s exciting — one game away (from a grand final),” Cook said.
Cook has taken full advantage this year of the rampaging form of the Burgess twins, George and Tom.
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