Mal Meninga has all but declared Damien Cook the man to take over Cameron Smith's No. 9 Kangaroos jersey.
But Cook will need little motivation to get one up on Smith, who he should have squared off against during this year's Origin series.
Heir apparent: Mal Meninga has anointed Damien Cook as the man to take over Cam Smith's No.9 jersey for the Kangaroos.
Photo: NRL Photos
The Cook and Smith match-up will be one of the many highlights on Friday night in the heavyweight ANZ Stadium clash between South Sydney and Melbourne.
While Cook has been fantastic for Souths and in his first series for NSW, Smith, a 56-Test veteran who made the shock decision to quit rep football on the eve of the Origin series, has been in Dally M-like form.
"Damien would be the front-runner, that's what I'm thinking and without having spoken to the two selectors, they are as well,'' Meninga told Fairfax Media about the Roos' next No. 9.
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"'Seebs' [Souths coach Anthony Seibold] has him functioning really well behind a really strong pack, and his running game is an asset.
"What I've seen through Origin is he can bring players on to the footy and straighten the play up. Seebs plus [NSW assistant] Danny Buderus have had a really good impact on him.
"If he can play 80 minutes in Origin, you can play 80 minutes at international level. It impressed me he could get through 40-odd tackles and still do what he does.''
Smith bowed out of the green and gold jersey with a World Cup victory, and while his Queensland successor Andrew McCullough, and players like Sydney Roosters rake Jake Friend and St George Illawarra's Cameron McInnes have been solid, Cook is expected to be one of the first picked for the October 13 Test against New Zealand. A decision on playing Tonga a week later in New York is expected to be made as early as Wednesday.
Meninga said he was not bothered if Cook got one up on Smith, or vice versa. "I know what Cameron Smith is capable of doing, I know what Damien is capable of,'' Meninga said. "Cameron can play off the back foot very well, and he has a good kicking game.
"That could be one area he could improve with his kicking, but he also has some very good kickers in his team [at Souths].''
Should Smith clinch another Dally M and even another title, there is no way Meninga will try to coax him out of retirement, even if he is the best man for the job at 35 years of age.
"He wanted to prolong his club footy, he felt he had done enough at rep level, and he wanted to commit to his club and family,'' Meninga said. "You have to applaud him for that. Talking to 'Smitty' through the Origin series, he felt he had so much more energy and felt fresher. He's made his decision, he's very comfortable with his decision, and I'd never do it to him.''
Meninga had a lot of time for Souths and would not be surprised if they could clinch another title. Souths won nine straight before they lost to the Wests Tigers, then came from 20-6 down against Parramatta to triumph 26-20 last weekend. Cook ran for 132m, made four tackle busts and didn't miss any of his 45 tackles.
Smith has been a big reason the Storm have surged back to the top of the ladder. Another highlight for Souths will be Seibold coming up against Craig Bellamy, the man he worked under at the Storm and whose lessons he happily applied to his Origin players after the series.
Billy Brittain is the only player to be added to the Souths squad, with the youngster seen as the long-term back-up rake for Cook.
