Late-bloomer out to cook old crew

DAMIEN Cook is out to destroy the club that helped keep alive his NRL dream.

The star Rabbitohs hooker and Dally M hopeful will lead the charge for South Sydney in their sudden-death clash with St George Illawarra tomorrow night, five years after a stint with the Dragons began Cook’s winding journey to the top.

The Helensburgh Tigers product played junior reps with the Steelers before spending two years in the under-20s with Penrith.

He returned home in 2012 but could only land a part-time deal with the team’s NSW Cup feeder club, Illawarra Cutters.

“I wasn’t full-time yet and I probably wasn’t ready for fulltime,” Cook said. “I had to improve my game in certain areas and prove I could do that.”

After pulling beers at Helensburgh Tradies to make ends meet, Cook landed a preseason with the NRL squad for 2013 and his long road to stardom began.

“In 2012, at the end of the year I did a few things right and managed to get a pre-season with the Dragons,’’ he said.

“It’s been a slow start for me but I feel like I’ve taken the right path.”