Veteran hooker Damien Cook admits he was “filthy” to discover that he was no longer wanted at St George Illawarra, but he has his sights set on using his remaining time at the Dragons to avert the joint venture’s first wooden spoon.
The 34-year-old former NSW and Kangaroos rake was days away from finalising a new deal when the club paused contract negotiations with existing players last month after a winless start to the year under coach Shane Flanagan.
Within a fortnight, Flanagan was out, and as the defeats piled up, Cook realised he wasn’t in the club’s plans.
He has since taken up an offer from Super League team Castleford Tigers, who are coached by former Dragons assistant Ryan Carr.
“Recruitment made it clear that they’re on the lookout for a couple of younger hookers,” he said ahead of his 250th NRL game against Penrith at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday night.
“We asked a few times and sort of got the same response, so I had to let my manager know that we were going to have to look elsewhere and try and find something. Then next thing you know, Ryan Carr reached out.
“I just saw it as a really good opportunity to change it up, take the family over there and go on a bit of an adventure. Carry’s sold ‘Cas Vegas’ [a nickname for Castleford] to me. The best thing is that I’ve made a decision now, and I get to really enjoy this last year with the Dragons.”
Cook’s pending exit comes as the Dragons attempt to make the last-placed team more competitive, signing Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater and Warriors playmaker Luke Metcalf in the past three weeks.
Asked whether he had hard feelings over it, Cook said: “Definitely in a way, because it obviously involved me. When you feel like you give so much to them, when those sorts of things happen, it can hurt a bit.
“I definitely respected the business side of the thing, but obviously because I was involved in it, emotionally invested in it, there were definitely a tough couple of weeks where I was filthy at the decision. I obviously wanted to stay – you’d love to stay here. But the decision’s been made now and I’m actually really excited about it. I’m happy that the future’s been sorted and I can really rip in and do whatever I can to make sure this club finishes off the season well.”
A Helensburgh product, Cook made his debut for the Dragons in 2013 and found his way back there last year via Canterbury and South Sydney to bookend a decorated career in Australia that included three State of Origin series wins and a grand final appearance for the Rabbitohs in 2021.
Once a junior age beach sprint national champion, his speed out of dummy half was his principal asset at his best, but he had to wait until he was 24 before he became a regular starter in first grade.
“You go back to when I was last here [in 2013], I had two games that year, [in] 2014 two games as well. [In] 2015 [Michael] Lichaa was at the Dogs, so I played that whole year [in NSW Cup]. I just thought ‘maybe this is it’,” he said.
“I didn’t think I was going to play NRL that year. Then [Lichaa] got injured and it gave me five games. From there I was noticed by Souths and on from there. I did bounce around a little bit, didn’t really get going until I was about 25 or 26.”
Given the Dragons’ dreadful form, few would give Cook a chance of victory in his milestone match.
Dean Young’s team face the might of the Panthers to close out Magic Round on Sunday night, and the gulf between the competition’s best and worst has rarely seemed wider.
But he maintains the long-term outlook is bright.
“It might seem funny to hear, but being the co-captain of these boys is definitely one of the highlights of my career,” Cook said.
“I know [with] the core group of guys they’ve got for the future here … this club will keep heading in the right direction.
“This is just the shit that we’ve got to go through at the moment.”
Chris Barrett is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former South-East Asia correspondent for the Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.
