Damien Cook reveals Bennett's quirky trait

Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues hooker Damien Cook is thriving under Wayne Bennett at Redfern but it's a quirky trait from the new South Sydney coach that has really caught his attention. "Wayne's a pretty funny old bloke, quick-witted," Cook told. "Doesn't shake hands really, you only get one hand shake a week. "I always try and sneak another one in there but he always remembers whose hand he shakes."
Big Sports Breakfast hosts Terry Kennedy and Laurie Daley laughed in agreeance with Cook. Kennedy has experienced the same rejection himself in the past while Daley revealed his strategy was to leave his hand out until Bennett shook it. "I can play with my forwards a little more through the middle," Cook said. "He (Bennett) wants me to keep my style of play and wants to add a few things, take pressure off the halves, control in the middle a bit more and controlling the game."

Bennett pulls off first Souths win as Cook re-signs

Wayne Bennett has already pulled off a win for South Sydney, with NSW hooker Damien Cook agreeing to stay at the Rabbitohs until the end of the 2023 NRL season. Already under contract for 2019, Cook, 27, has re-signed for another four seasons in a deal reportedly worth $4.5 million. Former Brisbane mentor Bennett said re-signing Cook was a priority when he arrived to start his three-year Rabbitohs stint on Tuesday.

And Bennett didn't waste time getting his man, with the Rabbitohs securing Cook on a lucrative long-term deal that is believed to include an upgraded 2019 contract. "I'm very excited to be extending my contract with the Rabbitohs and I'm happy to have my future sorted," Cook said in a statement. "Souths has been my home for the past three years and I didn't think it would be possible to be able to secure things for the next five years, but I'm so happy that that will be the case. "I've loved every moment of my time here, even the tough times, and I think we're building to something nicely."

Hooker: Damien Cook v Siliva Havili

Cook was unquestionably one of the form players of 2018 and a huge reason for the Rabbitohs' resurgence. He had some good moments on debut against NZ but by his own admission, it wasn't his best game of the year. Nevertheless, he remains a supremely dangerous player in attack and a reliable defender who can readily make 50-plus tackles in a game (although he did miss eight to go with 55 made last week).

Havili won't provide the same weight of numbers but as we saw at Canberra while Josh Hodgson was out, Havili is a top-drawer No.9 in his own right who is also capable of playing lock. Havili will job share with Sione Katoa, and while Ben Hunt is available to spell Cook if required Cook could end up playing 80 again.

Verdict: advantage Australia but not necessarily by a huge margin.

Damien Cook's heartbreaking admission after Test boilover

A crestfallen Damien Cook says he felt like he let down the green and gold jersey after Australia were given a reality check by New Zealand in Saturday’s boilover Test rugby league loss. The South Sydney rake was handed arguably the toughest assignment in rugby league after being anointed Cameron Smith’s successor as the Kangaroos’ No.9. It was just the Kangaroos’ second Test without Cameron Smith since 2006 – and the first since their 2009 Four Nations clash with France.

One of four debutants in the new-look Kangaroos, Cook was never given a chance to weave his magic in the 26-24 loss to the Kiwis in Auckland after his side committed a mountain of simple errors in an un-Australian-like performance. Cook was taken off by coach Mal Meninga after 62 minutes of being successfully targeted by the Kiwis forwards where he was forced to make 42 tackles.Cook said he was mindful of the jersey’s rich history and felt like he hadn’t lived up to its standards.

How will the Kangaroos’ new look spine gel?

Australia are officially in the post-‘Big Three’ era with Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater having either retired from representative football or retired altogether. In their place comes a brand new attacking brains trust in James Tedesco, Luke Keary, Daly Cherry-Evans and Damien Cook. Tedesco and Cook have been absolute standouts in their positions this season and were two of NSW’s best in the State of Origin series.

Luke Keary would count himself lucky to be called up into the side after Cameron Munster’s withdrawal, but he’s by no means undeserving of the honour having finished the season strongly for the Roosters, guiding them to a premiership win with a Clive Churchill Medal performance. Cherry-Evans is no stranger to the Kangaroos side with 11 Tests to his name, but it’s been a while between drinks with his last appearance coming all the way back in 2014. The Manly star, who has been named vice-captain, has a terrific chance to show he can dominate at the highest level after coach Mal Meninga claimed the side was now “his team”.

Damien Cook sacrifices wedding plans for Kangaroos debut

Damien Cook has revealed he has postponed his wedding to make his international debut in the Kangaroos' end-of-season Tests. The South Sydney and NSW rake organised his big day on October 19 but was forced to rejig plans after Cook was named in the Kangaroos squad for Auckland Tests against New Zealand (October 13) and Tonga (October 20). The date clash threatened to deny Cook a long awaited chance to replace retired Test skipper Cameron Smith and finally don the Kangaroos No.9 jersey.

But Cook said his partner Courtney made the call to postpone the wedding. "It was a hard one. I wasn't sure if I would make (the Kangaroos squad) or whether there was even going to be a second game (against Tonga)," Cook said. "My partner didn't want to risk cancelling it. I let her make the decision because I didn't want to get ahead of myself. "She wanted to move it so it's a few weeks later. But she gave me a few jobs to do for the wedding and I made sure I did those before I came into camp."

Damien Cook crowned Rabbitohs' best of 2018

After taking out the Dally M Hooker of the Year and the Provan-Summons People's Choice Award at the Dally M Awards, Cook has now been crowned South Sydney's best and fairest player of 2018. It marks Cook's third award of the night, as he was also the recipient of The Burrow Appreciation Award (NRL) and the Roy Asotasi Members' Choice Award, also becoming the second hooker to take out the award after Issac Luke in 2010.In his 25 appearances for the Rabbitohs in 2018,
Cook scored four scintillating tries, recording seven try assists, nine line break assists, nine line breaks while averaging 104 running metres per game and making over 1000 tackles for the season.Cook's form also earned him a spot in the NSW State of Origin team, where he played all three matches and played a huge role in the side's successful campaign. He will continue his representative honours with the Australian Kangaroos later this month in what has been an impressive year for the 27-year-old.