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It’s always a good time to get the call that invites you into Origin camp – especially when you had all but given up on the phone even ringing.
That was how Damien Cook felt on Sunday night as he sat weighing up whether to book a last minute holiday over South Sydney’s bye weekend, with Brad Fittler yet to get in touch.
Yet the phone did ring, and instead of a relaxing time with the family, Cook will now be entering into the decidedly less relaxing atmosphere of Suncorp Stadium on Origin night.
“It was a long day,” admitted the hooker. “We were going to fly out, but we held on one more day hoping, you never know. It got to a point where we thought maybe not, maybe we should start packing.
“I just tried to stay busy. The kids keep me busy and I was trying to do stuff around the house. It’s pretty clean at the moment!
“We were going to fly out for a family holiday, but as soon as we were going to start packing we got the call.
“I get to go now for a week and the poor Mrs is at home with our two kids. But she was very excited for me to get back here. They’ll come up to watch me play. My daughter has seen me in a Blues jersey before but my son hasn’t so I’m excited that he’ll do that.”
Mitch Moses didn’t have such worries. He was fresh off the field having dominated in Parramatta’s win over the Bulldogs and got the news from Fittler, who was at the game.
“I didn’t look into the whole week,” he said. “I knew there was going to be talk about it, but I let everyone else talk and me focus on getting a win for Parramatta. We all played a pretty good game and Freddy let me know afterwards.
“We’ve got a good relationship, he coached me in the 2017 World Cup. I learned so much from him.”
Both Moses and Cook were in the unusual position of knowing that their inclusion was likely – given the injuries to Nathan Cleary and Api Koroisau respectively – while also having unfinished business in the Origin arena.
Moses played once, in 2021, the last time Cleary was out, but was hampered by an early back injury that saw him perform below his best.
“Last time I played it was pretty much bite down on the mouthguard for 70 minutes and do my best,” he admitted. “I didn’t want to let anyone down. I’m excited to get another shot.
“It’ll help not having that injury but I’ve got to look to go out there and do my job. We’ll have a few training sessions and look to see what’s best for me to help the team.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
“It was a bit of a blur. It was all over the shop, during Covid and we were in a bubble pretty much. There wasn’t much media! It’s a bit different this time now and I’m excited to be here and get out there.
“I’m a bit older and I’ve played in a few more bigger games since my Origin debut. I’ve learned a lot of lessons from those times so hopefully I can take that into next Wednesday.”
Cook had thought his time in rep footy might be over after being dropped for Game 1 by NSW, having previously missed the cut for the Kangaroos’ World Cup squad.
Now, he is back on deck and sharing the role with Reece Robson, who is in line for an Origin debut.
“I got the call and it was almost like I was back in 2018 for my first game,’ said the Souths rake.
“It’s very exciting times. It was a long day and I wasn’t sure how it was going to go.
“I wasn’t sure after the first game because I didn’t play and I wasn’t sure what they’d do for Game 2. Reece is playing some great footy too.
“I always said to Freddie that I was ready if ever needed. It’s unfortunate what happened to Api, but we have to have next man up here at NSW and I was thankful to get the call.
“After the original chat we had when i didn’t get selected in Game 1, I let him know that I’d put my best foot forward at club level if he ever needed me. Now it’s come around to that, he’s put the trust in me and it’s up to me to return that.
“A few of us have come in as fresh faces and we understand what has got to be done to keep the series alive. It’s sudden death stuff at Suncorp. It’s a tough place to go and has been in recent years. There’s no other option but to go up and keep the series alive.”
For Moses, the goal was not to emulate Nathan Cleary, but to take the best of his experiences in leading Parra to a Grand Final last year and make his own mark on the Blues.
“The 7 in front of me is a pretty fair player,” said the halfback. “He’s been the best player for four years and I felt pretty bad for him, he copped a fair bit of criticism after Game 1 and, as a rugby league player you want to prove the critics wrong.
“He’s done his hammy and doesn’t get to do that, which is sad to see, but I get my chance and I’ll see how I go.
“If we can go out and compete, that’s what you want out of the 7 jersey. You want to compete on every play and do the state proud.
“I’ve learned a lot out of those games and will look back to see where I can be better. I’ve definitely learned going into this season and hopefully I turn that out next Wednesday.”
Cook can provide vital experience, having played in NSW teams that have won in Queensland before, including the 26-0 win at Suncorp in 2021.
The hooker said that he thought the side had not been too far away in Game 1 and could pull off the upset and set up a decider on home turf in Sydney.
“We’ve had years where we’ve won,” said Cook. “We lost Game 1 in 2019, made some changes and won the best two games. We’ve been to Queensland when the whole series was up there and won two games.
“There’s a lot of experiences in the last few years that we can lean on to pick the best parts of and make sure we do whatever it takes to win this second game.
“We controlled the field position really well. It came down to a few moments, a few trysavers there from Queensland in the first half and then moments that Queensland took. In Origin, it’s back and forth footy coming off your line for a long time, then you take your moments.
“We’ve done that in the past and Queensland have done their fair share too so we’ll see on Wednesday night.”