Damien Cook’s nine-year stay at Redfern will come to an end upon the conclusion of this campaign, as he will go back to where it all began at St George Illawarra.
The Dragons have signed the veteran hooker on a two-year deal with his links to South Sydney severed ahead of Wayne Bennett’s re-appointment.
"The Dragons are proud to announce the signing of Damien Cook for the 2025 and 2026 seasons," the club noted.
"A Helensburgh Tigers junior, Cook made his NRL debut for the Dragons in 2013, playing two NRL games."
After a brief stint with Canterbury, Cook joined the Rabbitohs in 2016 and went on to establish himself as one of the best No.9s in the game.
Yet the 32-year-old was allowed to explore his options beyond next year by the Bunnies with the club looking to go down another route at dummy-half for 2025 and beyond.
"He was contracted for one more year at our club, but he has the opportunity to extend his career at another club, and we thought it was the right thing to do to allow him to take up that offer," Souths' Head of Football, Mark Ellison, said.
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Who will replace Damien Cook as hooker at South Sydney Rabbitohs?
Cook only re-signed with the club last year on a deal which would take him through until the end of the 2025 season.
However, not long after he inked that contract, there was a seismic shift at Redfern.
Jason Demetriou was sacked just two months into the season after a woeful end to the 2023 campaign carried over into this year.
The Bunnies were anchored to the bottom of the ladder when they decided to axe the man who had originally taken over from Bennett.
The succession plan had failed to materialise as they would have wanted it to with the legendary coach returning to the club on a three-year deal to replace the man who had originally replaced him.
Bennett has already signed off on the purchase of English halfback Lewis Dodd from St Helens and has also now decided to allow Cook to venture elsewhere.
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With Cook’s exit, his understudy Peter Mamouzelos looks set to be handed the No.9 jersey.
The 23-year-old has had to patiently bide his time at the Bunnies, making just seven appearances across his first three years in first grade before becoming a regular fixture off the bench for the side this term.
The Greece international has long been heralded as an exciting talent and appears set for an opportunity at establishing himself as the long-term dummy-half.
Mamouzelos inked a new contract with the Rabbitohs at the start of the year which will take him through until the end of the 2027 season.
This was a reward for him after he had a large hand in the club’s drought-breaking NSW Cup triumph last season, as well as their first NRL State Championship after they beat the Brisbane Tigers.
"We’ve seen him improve consistently over the past few years as he has worked his way up through the grades and he is set to play a bigger role in first grade in the coming seasons," the club’s Head of Football, Mark Ellison, said upon the announcement of his new deal.
Will South Sydney sign Jeremy Marshall-King from the Dolphins?
Bennett has a history of bringing a few players with him from his previous club, so when confirmation was made of his return to Redfern, naturally the focus shifted towards his current employers, the Dolphins.
Jeremy Marshall-King was viewed as an ideal candidate to join the Rabbitohs.
However, the Kiwi international has since signed a long-term deal to stay in Redcliffe.
"Jeremy is one of the most underrated players in the NRL competition," Dolphins' CEO Terry Reader said.
"And it is fair to say that people are quickly realising how important he is to our team."
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Other high calibre hookers who have been tied down to their clubs long-term are Wayde Egan, Api Koroisau and Reed Mahoney.
Meanwhile, Harry Grant has a player option within his Melbourne Storm contract to remain in Victoria until the end of the 2026 campaign.
Who could South Sydney target at hooker in 2025?
The most obvious set-up for the Bunnies in 2025 appears to be Mamouzelos being promoted to the starting side with Siliva Havili providing cover off the pine.
Of the current hookers plying their trade in the NRL, only two are off-contract and available for next year and they are Zac Woolford and Gordon Chan Kum Tong.
However, things then begin to open up in the market with some interesting options on the table.
Current New South Wales dummy-half Reece Robson comes off-contract at North Queensland at the end of the 2025 campaign, along with Brandon Smith, Connor Watson and Jayden Brailey.
Highly touted Brisbane prospect Blake Mozer is also set to hit the market, while Tom Starling could also be available.
