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Cook seeks Farah's NSW Origin wisdom

Former NSW captain Robbie Farah is prepared to give South Sydney teammate Damien Cook some more words of wisdom ahead of his Origin debut.

Damien Cook during training
Damien Cook will make sure to seek Robbie Farah's advice one more time before Wednesday night. (AAP)

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Source: AAP


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Damien Cook doesn't remember the night Robbie Farah etched his name in State of Origin folklore, made a record 63 tackles and worked himself to the point of exhaustion just to send the 2012 series to a decider.

But "that's alright," Farah tells AAP.

"I'm sure I've got an old tape at home somewhere. I might have to pass it on to him before Wednesday."

If not a dusty VHS recording, though, a simple phone call will suffice.

After losing his starting South Sydney spot to Cook this year, Farah has put his pride behind him and played a major mentoring role in his teammate's rise into the NSW team.

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Cook has credited him for his development on multiple occasions and says the veteran rake was one of the first to congratulate him on his selection last week.

After watching the Rabbitohs' eight-point win over Cronulla in the stands on Friday, he pledged to seek Farah's guidance one more time ahead of the biggest moment of his career.

And the former Blues captain won't be shy about imparting his wisdom.

"I saw him after the game and said he'd call me before Wednesday," Farah said.

"I'll just talk to him about Origin footy and what to expect. It's a different beast to NRL, just the little things that make an Origin player and those Origin moments."

The 34-year-old, who made his season debut in the Rabbitohs' win over the Sharks, implored Cook to take confidence from his remarkable improvement this year.

He is first in the league in dummy-half runs, second in touches, fifth in tackles and widely considered the zippiest hooker in the game.

But where others are seduced by Cook's blistering speed, Farah sees a refined defender.

"Everyone always knew he was fast and he's always a threat with the ball," he said.

"But he worked really hard on his defence through the pre-season and that's something I tried to help him with as well. It's improved out of sight.

"He should go into next Wednesday full of confidence knowing he's put the work in right through pre-season and the first 12 rounds of the season."


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