HOOKING INTO THE BEST NO.9 OPTIONS

STILL struggling to decide whether Damien Cook is worth top dollar? Or whether Cameron Smith is still the best hooker in the league?

Premiership-winning rake Mick Ennis knows what it takes to be the best and he’s picked out his top three Super-Coach hookers for 2019.

“First look, obviously Damien Cook had a big year last year so it’d be silly to leave him out of it,” he said.

“He’s expensive though. You’ve got to sort of look at who they’re playing against.

“They’ve got the Roosters first, and he split them open a couple times last year but I would imagine they’re hard to score against.

“He’s probably worth the money early given what he did last year but if you want to get someone like a Widdop or Tedesco, those sort of guys (there might not be enough).”

Then there’s Raiders rake Josh Hodgson.

“Picked in just 15 per cent of teams, Hodgson looks to be a great option for those who can’t afford Cook,” Ennis said.

“The Englishman averaged a staggering 63.3 points last season and features in a Canberra side which oozes points week in week out.” And Ennis’s option No.3? “We all saw what (then Souths coach) Anthony Seibold did for Damien Cook’s game last year and we might see a similar move with Andrew McCullough at the Broncos,” he said.