Why Damien Cook is so special

Nice read. At the end of the day he is a good player having a career year

Don....agree with you on Granville ....liked the way he played when in top form. Can only hope he will realise he could be a chance for SOO and finds some form again.

Mate, he's 27 & has been in the NRL for years so I think you're getting a bit carried away based on a few top class efforts. Let's see him aim up for this & next season before we build the statue, seem to recall similar plaudits for Jake Granville when he came on the scene in 2015 to help spark a cowboy premiership but either opposition teams have worked him out better or he's gone backwards, you decide. Nothing helps more in rugby league than sheer pace but maybe the players around him at club & rep level aren't getting the praise for making his job easier. It helps to have a coach who wants players to use the ball, as a late bloomer at Souths Walker is also looking like he should have been in the NRL years ago.

If not for Jake Friend and Jake Granville being woefully out of form earlier in the year I suspect Granville would have been QLD hooker. With Friend, Granville, Segeyaro and Hunt all fit and available again next year QLD have a bit of time with some quality options to let the next crop of young guys come through. Cook’s a cracking player no doubt. But he’s just having a break out year like many players before him have. I want to see him with a less dominant pack before I laud him as the long term great blues hope.

Said the above

There’s been a heap of beach sprint champions playing top grade League (and Rugby) over the years. Michael Hooper another recent one... Back in the day most surf clubs had close affiliations to certain Rugby League and Union clubs. Certainly this was the case with Brisbane footy clubs and Gold Coast surf clubs. In the off-season we rowed surf boats and the speedy guys competed in the beach sprint, flags and relay.

And to be fair, he started the season as hooker for two years in the Penrith NYC squad and both times lost the job (ultimately to players who never made it). Some players develop later, realise their bodies capability later or understand of the nuance of the game later. I have seen plenty of Damien Cook in NSW Cup where he was for the best part of four years. He played a bit of Hooker, but would get pushed back to fullback for his utility value behind players like Havilli and others who never amounted to being NRL players. I don't think you could blame Penrith or the Dragons for missing his talent, he wasn't showing anything like this with any level of consistency. You could be critical of the Dogs I suppose, , but they have copped enough for their approach to retention lately..

Agree... they should be there but there is a team that could be a snag and that's the Storm. They also have a hooker who may not be as fast on his feet but maybe a little bit quicker between the ears. Reckon it would be a great grand final.....Speed versus Patience and Experience.

He is a mature age player who has grabbed the opertunity he was given with both hands and run with it ..... a credit to him and an example to others is the patience and determination he has shown to hang in there untill given a chance. He win be a thorn in the to Qld for many years to come. Untill Qld. can find someone to match him ...instead of having to use 'band-aid' hookers who may help out for a short period but are not the long term solution....I feel he will be the deciding factor in many games to come Credit to Seibold for giving him the chance to prove himself .

Damien Cook is as impressive off the paddock as he is when playing. I anticipate a lengthy career for him in League, be it playing,coaching or administration. South Sydney were done a great service when Maguire and / of Richarson denied Damien a release to sign at Cronulla as the replacement for Mick Ennis. He is with Souths until 2019. His current market value? I reckon it would have to be around the $800K +mark.

the Roars edit function doesn't like me... It should read "he was seen more as a half", it wasn't just his prefered position.

That's a damed lie! It was halfback!! He did actually spend some time at hooker for Logan though, I think it was more that of the two spots his prefered position was halfback.

I read recently that Smith was a 5/8 up until he was about 18 or 19 as well.

I certainly agree with you that Souths look the team to beat in 2018, and it is no surprise to see Cook dominating the headlines in the Bunnies current run of great form. But he is getting lots of assistance from the Bunnies pack & bench with their go forward that gives him the room to move make his impacts. He can thank the Burgi brothers, Crichton, Sutton, Cam Murray and others for giving him the go forward , quick play the balls & space to do is thing. Assuming they can keep the bulk of this pack on the park, Cook will deliver plenty more in the finals.

He was at Penrith in their NYC squad in 2010 & 2011 , before all that ! Panthers even scouted him from out off area , Sutherland / Helensburgh. But alas they couldn't recognise (or were willing to pay for) the eventual talent we see today ! That's the salary cap, I guess ?

He is a special player and good to watch. He spent so long as a B+ half but found himself as an A hooker. But his is not a new path as Johns, Toovey all played well in that hooking role and more recently Granville, who was a good FB in ISC to premiership winning hooker. The heads up play these guys excel at has to be matched with strong defence or the experiment doesn't work. Agree though that Cook has been a major catalyst in Souths form this year. His running game is dynamic but his service to the big boys is crisp where Farrah's was slow. I like the fact he is having a break out year at a later age because it means his maturity shouldn't allow the hype to get to him as it can with a younger player and the rewards are his to enjoy.

I wonder how many beach sprinters are going to make the switch to Rugby League?

He was at dragons before that . Behind Mitch Rein