He hasn’t taken a kick at goal in eight years. Meet South Sydney’s new goalkicker
He hasn’t taken a shot at goal in almost eight years, but Damien Cook has been passed the baton to solve South Sydney’s goalkicking woes as interim coach Ben Hornby said his side would quickly move on from Cameron Murray’s State of Origin ban.
Cook, who will celebrate his 200th NRL game for the Rabbitohs on Saturday, will be the seventh player handed the goalkicking tee at the Rabbitohs this season as they fight to keep their faint finals hopes alive.
Cook last took a kick for goal in an NRL match in 2016 – he’s landed all seven attempts in his career – but has been promoted above Cody Walker and Taane Milne, who had nightmares in South Sydney’s 36-28 loss to Dolphins last round.
Each managed just one goal from three attempts, while Jamayne Isaako’s perfect six goals from as many attempts was the difference between the sides.
Hornby has now entrusted Cook with the responsibility as Latrell Mitchell remains sidelined with a foot complaint.
Mitchell, Walker, Milne, Dean Hawkins, Jai Arrow and Dion Teaupa have all had shots at goal this season for the Rabbitohs, who have the worst percentage of any team in the competition (66 per cent).
Damien Cook will take on the kicking duties in his 200th game on Saturday.Credit: Kate Geraghty
Asked about Cook’s celebratory match, Hornby said: “He’s meant a lot. He epitomises what a South Sydney player is. He loves his teammates, he’s professional, does everything right and is a coach’s dream. He’s everything you want as a player in a team.
“The boys are hopefully going to take a little bit of Damien Cook out there with them on the weekend, and if they do that, we’ll get the result we want.”
They will have to do it without Murray though, the inspirational captain accepting a two-match ban for running from the bench to be involved in a sideline melee during NSW’s stirring win in the State of Origin series decider on Wednesday night.
Murray was not on the field at the time and will join Manly’s Haumole Olakau’atu, who was a non-playing member of the Blues squad, in serving suspensions as a result of the brawl.
The Rabbitohs are walking a finals tightrope and need to beat the Tigers in Gosford on Saturday and the Raiders the following week without Murray to keep their top eight hopes alive.
On the Murray ban, Hornby said: “He’s disappointed. He’s going to miss two games for us, but he’ll be OK.
“It’s a tough one, isn’t it? It spills over into their bench, he goes in to help his mate and it is what it is. We get punished for it, but we’ve got to move on. Our boys get a chance to go out there and show what they can do.”
Tallis Duncan is expected to start the game for South Sydney with Liam Le Blanc the fresh man on the bench. Keaon Koloamatangi, a revelation since shifting to the middle of the field, will spend time as an edge back-rower to accommodate Murray’s absence.
South Sydney sent Arrow for season-ending shoulder surgery last week after he battled through intense pain for the majority of the year, a decision that has been complicated by Murray’s ban, which Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly described as “amateur hour” on Thursday.
He wants all bans from Origin matches to be served in representative games, akin to international soccer protocol.
“Jai had done such a great job for us to hang in there as long as he did,” Hornby said. “It was time for us to repay him.
“We feel like we’re getting some back-rowers back and Cam going down is a spanner in the works, but I’m more than confident in the players we’ve got, they can go out there and do well.”
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