South Sydney hooker Damien Cook won’t rest on pursuit of premiership glory

South Sydney hooker Damien Cook admits his body hasn’t fully recovered since the Origin decider, but says he has no intentions of missing matches as the Rabbitohs eye premiership glory.

Damien Cook admits his body hasn’t fully recovered from Origin. Picture: Dean Lewins

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To rest or not to rest?

That is the question Damien Cook is refusing to entertain.

The NSW Blues hooker admitted he is playing sore but isn’t willing to miss a single minute of South Sydney’s run into the 2019 finals series.

“At the moment, I love playing footy so if I'm looked after during the week in certain ways then I can freshen up during the week, I really don’t want to miss any games,” Cook said.

Damien Cook admits his body hasn’t fully recovered from Origin. Picture: Dean Lewins

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A gruelling State of Origin campaign has taken such a brutal toll on Cook that the Rabbitohs rake is yet to fully physically recover from the experience.

The speedy No. 9 revealed he went into last weekend’s 30-18 win over North Queensland still feeling below his best.

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“I’m holding up well. I feel there’s a week to go until the body is back to normal. I felt a little bit sore, not 100 per cent, going into the game on the weekend but I felt like last week’s full week training with the team was a lot better,” he said.

Cook, 28, was in Blues camp and missed round 12 against the Parramatta Eels but has played every other game this season.

Cook has no intention of missing games leading into the NRL finals. Picture: Dean Lewins

To make up for it, Cook then played for 70 minutes against Newcastle in round 13 — only two days after game one of the Origin series at Suncorp Stadium.

While coach Wayne Bennett hasn’t approached the durable Bunny about being rested over the next two months, skipper Sam Burgess has warned of the risk of burnout leading into September.

“He [Bennett] hasn’t really said it but Sam and some of the other senior boys have said make sure I speak if I need to have a couple of days,” Cook said.

“We have a longer turnaround in a few weeks and that might be the one to take [some days off] and getaway and freshen up.”

Cook says Ben Hunt would not have wanted to rest after Origin. Mark Metcalfe

Cook’s commitment comes after St George Illawarra coach Paul Mcgregor’s decision to rest Queensland hooker Ben Hunt last week against Penrith.

Considering the Red V’s season was on the line, the call generated heated debate over the million dollar man’s role in the side.

But Cook, who takes on Hunt’s Dragons on Friday night at ANZ Stadium, believes the halfback would have been given little say in the move to sit him out of the game.

“Knowing Ben, I don’t think he would have put his hand up and asked for a week off, he would have been told,” he said.

“I’m sure he put up a fight too and said he wants to play but if that coach and the high performance staff want him to sit out then it’s not up to him. No player really wants to sit out.”

Hunt is regular at Cook’s health centre in Sydney’s south and is weary of McGregor’s call to rest the playmaker. Cook said it could turn into a masterstroke and at the worst possible time for the Rabbitohs.

“It could be the smartest move ever, he could come back fresh and ready to go this weekend … I hope not, I hope we can win this weekend but we are expecting them to come out flying especially with all the pressure they have on them,” he said.