If Wayne Bennett was coaching against Damien Cook, he'd try to slow him down too.
But now that he's the South Sydney coach, Bennett is ready to hit out at deliberate slowdown tactics NRL teams are applying to nullify his star dummy-half.
Bennett voiced his concerns about the state of the ruck following last week's win over Canterbury, claiming teams were exploiting a more lax policing of the play-the-ball in 2019.
"If you think about it, we're going to get a lot (more) pressure put on us in that area than a lot of teams because he's the best running hooker in the game," Bennett said.
"You just don't want him getting out of there.
"I've coached against him again and it's the last thing you want. You are given certain instructions into how you handle him and limit what his influence is on the game.
"As a coach I would've done it, and have done it in the past. You just don't want that quick play-the-ball because you can't defend that. It puts you under too much pressure."
Cook, the incumbent NSW State of Origin hooker, is averaging 55 metres from 5.8 carries a game this season, well down on his season average of 90 metres from 8.1 carries last year.
However, while his carries may be down, the 27-year-old still leads the league in dummy-half runs with 62 and line engagements with 52.
He is also equal-third in try assists with six, although Bennett suggests he can do more.
"He's not the problem. It's a bit hard when everything is static on the ground and two markers are set in their defensive positions," Bennett said.
"A guy his size, that minimises what he can do and what advantage you're going to have with him. It's all part of the game, it's tactics.
"The issue is if that's what's happening in the game, that's what the refs have got to get in control of. That's what they have to recognise is happening."
Australian Associated Press
