There are a few reasons why Damien Cook is looking forward to his first trip to Papua New Guinea. For the grateful Prime Minister's XIII captain, it comes after a "hell of a year" with South Sydney. And it gives him an early look at a key future teammate as the hooker prepares for a move to St George Illawarra next year. Cook will skipper the Australian representative side against Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby on Sunday, in the 33-year-old's first visit to the league-mad nation that could have its own NRL team by 2028.
"This is a nice way to finish it, that's for sure," Cook said of the honour. "It's been a hell of a year to be honest; a lot of ups and downs. We went through some stuff at the start with the coach (Jason Demetriou) losing his job, but the good thing for him is he's coaching PNG now. I always knew he was going to pick up another job sooner rather than later. I made a decision quite early to be going with the Dragons. The best thing for me to do is to enjoy the rest of my time in South Sydney, and the club and (coach) Benny Hornby definitely made sure I enjoyed myself."
Cook said captaining the PM's XIII was "a real honour, very special and part of my career that I'll get to look back on one day". He said he had consulted former coach Wayne Bennett, who will return to South Sydney next season, before and after making his decision to leave. "All positive chats," he said. "It was out of his hands."
In a neat twist, he'll wear the green and gold with current Dragons hooker Jacob Liddle, one of the club's best this season. "Teamwork, not a battle," Cook laughed when asked about how they'd jostle for minutes next season. "We'll make it work and we'll be a good little combination there that hopefully can put the Dragons back up towards the top of the ladder where they belong. It's been good to train alongside him and get to know him. It's obviously going to make it a little bit easier when I walk in first day training at Dragons. (It can) feel like first day of school, so it'd be good to have met a couple of face before I get there."
Family Affair
The showdown between the Australian Prime Minister's XIII and Papua New Guinea on Sunday afternoon will be a family affair for NRL rivals Tyran Wishart and Reuben Garrick. The pair will team up in the green and gold before becoming brothers-in-law next year. Wishart is the son of Steelers and Dragons legend Rod who represented Australia in three matches in Papua New Guinea, including the two nations' brutal 1991 battle. But on Sunday, a new chapter will written into the family's history when Wishart runs out alongside brother-in-law-to-be Garrick. "It'll be a very cool experience for us to play together in the same jersey," Wishart told 9News Sydney as the team prepared to travel to Port Moresby. Manly winger Garrick proposed to Wishart's sister Riley earlier this year. "It's cool to come into another football family," he said. "They've been very welcoming of me — they're like family now so it's a pretty cool feeling." Garrick last featured for the PM's XIII in 2019, while Wishart will make his first appearance after replacing Hudson Young in the squad. Wishart hopes the experience will take his mind off the Storm's 14-6 grand final defeat by the Panthers on Sunday. "It was definitely pleasing to get the news," he said. "[But] I don't think it will ever go away — that pain of the loss."
Demetriou's Revenge?
AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister’s 13 captain and No.9 Damien Cook says Papua New Guinea Kumuls coach Jason Demetriou knows most of his tricks well. Cook played under Demetriou when he was coaching the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Cook, who’s also familiar with Demetriou’s way of coaching, said there’s a chance Demetriou would get his side to test out his (Cook’s) shoulders as well. Cook said his men would be prepared for it because they know PNG’s physical game. “He (Demetriou) knows most of my tricks that’s for sure, but he also thought me some good things as well,” Cook said. “Definitely, he will be testing out my shoulders on Sunday because PNG, they hit hard and they run hard, that’s the way they play and I love watching them. That’s going to be our biggest challenge and we have to match that intensity on Sunday.” Demetriou jokingly said his men would definitely test Cook’s shoulders. Meanwhile, Cook said he heard stories of NRL players and their experience of playong Papua New Guinea during PM’s 13 matches and for him to experience it for the first time was exciting. He said it was something he wanted to tick off in his rugby league career.
PNG's Rise
Papua New Guinea have confirmed their 21-man squad for the upcoming 2024 Pacific Championships against Cook Islands and Fiji. The squad consists of several current and former NRL players, including Dan Russell, Lachlan Lam, Robert Derby, Jack de Belin and Jacob Alick-Wiencke as the team looks to advance into the Pacific Championships tournament by winning the 2024 Pacific Bowl title. However, they will be without the star trio of centres Justin Olam and Zac Laybutt and front-rower Nixon Putt due to injuries and they will miss the entire 2024 Pacific Championships. Is this the year Papua New Guinea breaks its duck? Sunday's PNG PM13 vs Australia PM13 live stream carries high hopes for the Papua New Guinea selection, now led by former Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou. Last year's clash was the closest in years, and with rumors rife that PNG is set become the NRL’s 19th franchise, what a moment this would be to register their first win in this fixture. Demetriou has picked a PNG Hunters-heavy squad, headlined by Judah Rimbu and Morea Morea. Captaining the Australia PM13 for the first time is Dragons-bound Damien Cook, who started the season playing under Demetriou. The hooker leads a talented squad, spearheaded by Titan Alofiana Khan-Pereira, who top-scored in the NRL with 24 tries.
A Moment in Time
The PM's XIII match will begin at 4.05pm AEDT on Sunday, October 13 at Port Moresby's Santos National Football Stadium. It's a chance for Damien Cook to end his South Sydney chapter on a high, for a family to create a special moment in their rugby league journey, and for PNG to make history. The stage is set for a thrilling clash, and the eyes of the rugby league world will be watching closely.
