Damien Cook in shock new development at Rabbitohs amid drama engulfing NRL club
The Rabbitohs coach has made a massive call as he reportedly fights to save his job.
Under fire South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou has made the shock move to dump representative hooker Damien Cook for Saturday night's crunch clash with Cronulla at Accor Stadium. Demetriou is reportedly facing the sack if his side cannot defeat the Sharks, with the Rabbitohs languishing on the bottom of the NRL ladder after four losses in their first five games.
Cook was demoted to the bench in the Bunnies' round three flogging by fierce rivals the Roosters but has not even earned a spot in the 17-man squad this time around. The NSW No.9 has been replaced in the starting side by Peter Mamouzelos, with Siliva Havili preferred to Cook as the back-up hooking option off the bench. Cook could only earn a spot outside the 17 in the extended Rabbitohs squad.
Demetriou's side are already missing Latrell Mitchell, who was banned for three games for his elbow on Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson. The superstar No.1 has been replaced by boom youngster Jye Gray, who's impressed at fullback in the NSW Cup. But the coach's call on Cook means he will also be without almost 200 games of first grade experience, not to mention the representative hooker's history of delivering in big games.
The move to drop Cook is a bold one from Demetriou, whose position at the club is under mounting pressure, with reports only a win against the Sharks will save his job. Other reports suggest the damage has already been done and that Souths powerbrokers have lost faith in the head coach.
The Rabbitohs face the Sharks, then the Storm away and Penrith at home in their next three matches. All three games are against top eight opponents. However, reports suggest Demetriou might not even get all three fixtures to prove himself.
Jason Demetriou fighting to keep his job as Souths coach
Multiple reports suggest Demetriou has around 80 minutes to show he can lead the Rabbitohs for the remainder of 2024 with a loss against the Sharks a potential deal-breaker. This comes as Demetriou was handed a contract extension last year with Rabbitohs officials backing their coach at the time.
Replacement names are being thrown around with assistant coach Ben Hornby seemingly the favourite to take over if Demetriou is axed. Club legend and former assistant Sam Burgess is also being mentioned despite leaving the club last year after clashing with Demetriou and questioning the standards at training.
Burgess is a long-shot to return though after he took up the head coaching role at Warrington Wolves in the English Super League. Master coach and former Rabbitohs mentor Wayne Bennett - who led the team to the 2021 grand final - is in the final year of his contract with the Dolphins and is another big name being linked with the Rabbitohs head coaching role.
Reporter Phil Rothfield claims Demetriou is facing an uphill battle to keep his job and suggests key figures at the club have run out of patience after their fourth defeat of the season against the Warriors. “I think when Souths walked out of Accor Stadium the other night I think the landscape has changed significantly,” Rothfield said on the Big Sports Breakfast this week.
“I think the chairman, the CEO and the board have resolutely stood by their coach in some pretty tough circumstances over the last month but I think that patience has run out. His days are numbered. This Cronulla game, if they can get up it might delay the proceedings and a move on the coach but look I think it’s done.
"They will have an internal review now. I just want people to understand we’ve only had five weeks of the season and to judge a coach on five weeks is particularly unfair, but what the Rabbitohs are doing is they’re going back to when they were leading the competition midway through last year, that was 20 games ago and they’ve lost 15 of those matches."
