Rabbitohs call for Blues to reunite Reynolds, Walker, Cook combo

Damien Cook has thrown his support behind club combinations in Origin as Souths team-mates backed a Blues recall for him and the 2021 grand final halves pairing of Adam Reynolds and Cody Walker.

With Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary (hamstring) ruled out of the remaining two matches of the series, NSW coach Brad Fittler faces the dilemma of simply replacing him with Nicho Hynes or Mitchell Moses, or revamping the Blues spine.

Cleary’s presence in the NSW No.7 jersey was a factor in the selection of Panthers five-eighth Jarome Luai and their former premiership winning team-mate Api Koroisau at hooker for the series opener.

However, with Cleary suffering a hamstring injury against St George Illawarra last Sunday, there are now calls for Fittler to turn to Reynolds, Walker and Cook.

Reynolds, who left Souths after their grand final loss to Penrith, has steered the Broncos from the 2021 wooden spoon to the top of the premiership ladder, while Walker leads the NRL for try assists (19) and many regard Cook as being in career best form.

“We are playing some good footy here at South Sydney and the combination has been built over a long time,” Cook said on Tuesday.

“The talk of Reyno being in Origin is off the back of how well he is doing up there in Brisbane, and what he has done for that team.

“He has been in that [NSW] jersey before, he knows what it is all about, so he would do a great job and there are other combinations that could come off the back of that, and obviously we spent some time together here.

“Reyno is a big-game player, he has experience, a great kicking game, he knows Suncorp - he has been playing up there - so he would be very comfortable in that situation.

"He has performed and he has proved himself, and he is playing some really good footy now."

Souths team-mates also gave Walker the strongest endorsement for a Blues call-up, with second-rower Jacob Host saying: “I believe he should have been in there for Game I. We are all behind him and hopefully he gets the call up for Game II”.

Host and prop Hame Sele said playing alongside Walker made their jobs easy.

“I reckon he is the best five-eighth in the competition so my job is literally just to run the right lines and he does the rest,” Host said. “He is so knowledgeable of the game.

“It feels like he has got all the time in the world and people say that he is a bit off the cuff, but I think he is more structured than anyone in our team. He likes to direct traffic around and make sure the players get to where they need to be.”

Sele said: “Cody can create something out of nothing, and we all just back him up. He plays a pretty important role, and he has been one of our best this season, so I don’t see why he doesn’t get the call up”.

Even if Fittler opts to stick solid with the team which lost 24-18 at Adelaide Oval and promote Hynes from the interchange to halfback, there may still be an opportunity for Cook.

Hynes played just 12 minutes in his Origin debut after being thrust into the fray to replace Tom Trbojevic at right centre, but Fittler’s initial plan had been to use him at dummy half in the final 20 minutes of the match.

“Nicho probably wasn’t used like Freddy wanted to use him in the first place and he has been playing some great footy for over a year now in that No.7 [Sharks] jersey, so the selectors have got a big job on their hands,” Cook said.

“Whoever gets in that Blues jersey will make sure they keep the series alive.”

After being overlooked for the series opener, Cook received a phone call from Fittler explaining that the Blues had decided to a spine combination developed at club level.

Cook said he understood Fittler’s reasoning and assured him that he would be ready if needed at any time by the Blues.

“You can understand why in the first game they were talking about the combinations,” Cook said. “If the game gets tough and you need to fall back on something that combination is always in the back of their minds.

“I understand their thinking, and those combinations are there for a reason.

“We have got a game against the Dragons this weekend but if anything comes from that and I get a chance to go back in there I will make sure my focus goes to the Blues and to do whatever I need to do to make sure the series stays alive.

“I said to Freddy that if he needs me I am always ready to go. Playing in that jersey is some of the best memories you could have in your career so if I ever get the opportunity again, I would love it.”