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The Rabbitohs made the tough decision to let Adam Reynolds go and invest in the future by putting their faith in young playmaker Lachlan Ilias.
That decision will continue to be debated this season amid South Sydney’s fighting and now the Rabbitohs could face a similar dilemma as they attempt to renew hooker Damien Cook.
Speaking of Triple M on Thursday evening, The Australians Brent Read revealed South Sydney will sit down with Cook next week to discuss his future at the club.
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The Rabbitohs want to keep Cook and the NSW blues hooker wants to stay too, but it will be a tricky balancing act with the emergence of young savage Peter Mamouzelos.
“What makes it really interesting is that they have a young Peter Mamouzelos who has huge raps on him as a hooker,” Read said.
“He got through with Lachlan Ilias and Blake Taaffe. I suppose Souths will have to juggle Cook’s long-term future not to hold back Mamouzelos and his development.”
Cook has one year left on his contract while Mamouzelos is under contract until the end of the 2024 season.
But should the Rabbitohs extend Cook, it would only further limit Mamouzelos’ first-grade options and could prompt the 21-year-old to look elsewhere.
“Souths want to keep him [Cook] So they will start those negotiations next week, but it will be interesting to see how that plays out,” added Read.
“Obviously at Souths you saw what happened to Adam Reynolds. They didn’t want to get in the way of Lachlan Ilias, and Cook is in a similar position. It will be fascinating to see how this develops.”
BROWN SET FOR EELS LEAVE AS RIVALS CIRCLE
The Eels have given former Blues Origin representative Nathan Brown permission to negotiate with NRL rivals for an immediate release after dumping him over their clash with the Roosters.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Brown is set to be dropped following the Eels’ embarrassing defeat by the Bulldogs and the club have told him he is not part of their future plans.
Brown’s management recently attempted to negotiate an extension for their client, whose contract with Parramatta expires in 2023.
However, the club rejected the extension request and gave Brown permission to negotiate with rivals on the instructions of his management.
The Herald revealed the Eels are open to ending Brown’s tenure at the club with 18 months left on contract if he can strike a deal elsewhere for the remainder of 2022.
Privately, Brown is reportedly looking to stay with the Eels and win a Premier League with the club he has played for most of his career spanning six seasons.
The Tigers, who made Brown’s one-game NRL debut in 2013, were reportedly approached to secure Brown’s services.
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However, the Tigers have instituted a developmental mandate at the club and are reluctant to make too many contract changes until Tim Sheens appoints a new head coach after Michael Maguire’s axe.
Parramatta’s decision on Brown is an indication they are under salary cap pressures on big deals with Clint Gutherson, Junior Paulo and Mitchell Moses, while halves Dylan Brown and Moses will need to be re-signed on increased deals beyond 2023.
Young gun center Will Penisini is also set to receive a contract upgrade beyond 2023, while the Eels have 16 players who will remain unsigned beyond next season.
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The Eels have also offered Ryan Matterson a four-year extension to stay at the club while the Dolphins circle the Origin star, an indication that Brown has fallen behind Matterson in the pecking order.
Parramatta is also trying to lure former blues star Angus Crichton from the Roosters as the Tri-Colours face salary cap pressure to keep the back rower.
It’s a stunning drop in favor for Brown, who represented NSW in two Origin games in 2020 and has played 107 of his 136 NRL games for the Eels since joining the club from Souths in 2017.
Brown went from a suspension in jersey No. 13 in recent seasons to a demotion to a bank role this year as he suffered a slump in form.
The 29-year-old has been on the bench for the last three games and played just 34 minutes, suggesting he is no longer a key cog in the Eels’ starting roster.