Cook keen to shine in new Kangaroos line-up

SOUTH Sydney hooker Damien Cook wants to make an immediate impact as Australia’s rugby league team looks to bed in a new “spine’’ in this month’s two Tests.

Australia’s World Cup final winners last November had Billy Slater at fullback, Cooper Cronk at halfback, Cameron Smith at hooker and Michael Morgan at five-eighth with an injured Johnathan Thurston unavailable.

The retirements of Slater (30), Cronk (38) and Smith (56) from representative football strip a total of 124 Tests of experience out of three of Australia’s key positions.

“I’ve grown up watching him (Smith). He’s one of the best players in our game and to go after him, I wouldn’t say it was daunting (because) no one can be compared to him,’’ Cook said.

“I’d be looking to play my style of footy which is a little different to his.

“One thing of his is game management and trying to win the ruck when it’s slow. You learn. You want to make sure your defence is good and give the halves the best ball possible.

“Even to be here as one of the hookers in the Australian team is special. It’s the highest honour in the game.’’

Cook’s fiancee Courtney Blaine agreed to delay their October 19 wedding in Sydney by two weeks so he could stay in Auckland next week for Australia’s Test against Tonga there the next day.

Cook averaged 104m per game for Souths this year with his jackrabbit dummy-half runs and support game.

But he was limited to 67m in the preliminary final loss to Sydney Roosters after making 131m against St George Illawarra a week earlier.

Cook was a desolate figure in the minutes after fulltime in the preliminary final.

“I was pretty shattered. We believed we could go on and win this,’’ he said.