Corey Parker calls out glaring detail in Jason Demetriou's NRL axing of Damien Cook
Cook has paid the ultimate price for the Rabbitohs' disastrous start to the season.
Corey Parker has heaped more criticism on under-fire South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou after insisting the bombshell among of Damien Cook reeks of "desperation". Demetriou stunned the NRL world on Tuesday after axing Cook completely from his 17-man squad to face Cronulla on Saturday night, with the representative hooker only earning a spot in the extended squad as 18th man.
Demetriou is reportedly fighting to save his job, with suggestions his side must beat the Sharks for him to avoid the sack. The Rabbitohs are already missing Latrell Mitchell, who was banned for three games for his elbow on Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson, making the task against Cronulla that much harder.
The Rabbitohs are languishing on the bottom of the ladder after four losses in their opening five games of the season, and Cook has paid a massive price for their worrying form. The NSW No.9 admitted on Wednesday he was "angry" and "frustrated" at being cut from the side and Broncos great Parker suggested the veteran rake was being made a scapegoat for the team's poor performances.
“It’s desperation stakes,” Parker said on SENQ. “He’s trying to make a change but I don’t understand personally why he would drop Damien Cook. You are at the bottom of the ladder and you can’t just pin it on one guy.
“That seems to be what it is and he’s a representative and if (Demetriou) is dropping him because he’s trying to take a stance then it's a strange one for me. He’s showing the team why they’re not going well. It seems that all of a sudden Damien Cook is the reason why they’re not going well. Unfortunately, it seems like Demetriou’s days are numbered.”
Discussing the situation on Tuesday night's NRL 360 program, co-host Paul Kent said while the Cook decision was a "surprise", he believes Demetriou had to make some tough calls to turn his side's season around. “They need a circuit breaker there at the club, there’s no doubt about that,” Kent said.
“The fact that Latrell Mitchell’s not playing this week, that provided Jason Demetriou with the opportunity (to make major changes). (Dropping) Cook is a bit of a surprise. But again, they needed something to shake it up a little bit. I think good on the coach for trying to crack a few eggs to make the omelette.”
Damien Cook axed in shake-up at Souths
Veteran league reporter Brent Read also said the Cook axing was surprising but not completely unexpected after the Rabbitohs' last defeat against the Warriors. “I’m surprised, but when you look back at the game on the weekend... that period before and after half time, that’s when they lost that footy game,” Read said.
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“Damien Cook missed a big tackle in that moment, a couple of other guys - Sean Keppie and Tallis Duncan, they’re gone this week as well – they were on that field during that period. If you look at it from that standpoint, I can understand why he’s made the change.
“If you look at Cookie’s stats this year, he hasn’t been that potent with the ball either. I think he’s got one try assist and one try break this year. The other factor is (Peter) Mamouzelos. He’s been knocking on the door for a long time now. He’s been playing well in NSW Cup, played well when he came on the weekend," Read said in reference to Cook's replacement at hooker.
Even if Demetriou's side can defeat the Sharks, there are suggestions that the coach's time is up anyway, with former Souths mentor Wayne Bennett and club legend Sam Burgess among those linked to the hot seat. Bennett's contract as head coach of the Dolphins is up after this season and Parker believes he'd be the perfect man to end the drama at the Rabbitohs and dispel any notions of player favouritism at the club.
“Every player is different,” Parker added. “When you are trying to achieve the same thing, it’s a delicate process and the one thing Wayne always did, if you were taking advantage of the situation, he’d pull you into line. He has a unique style (and) Wayne is good at (being) aman manager. He will treat people as individuals, not a team (and) get the most out of a team on game day.”
