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- Michael Di Lonardo
Updated at 12:07 a.m. ET
Canterbury great Steve Mortimer has apologised to the club’s fans for letting Damien Cook slip through their hands during his tenure on the Bulldogs board.
Cook had a brief seven-game cameo at Belmore in the shadow of former skipper Michael Ennis and incumbent hooker Michael Lichaa before signing a two-year deal with South Sydney which has since been extended.
Arguably the game’s best player of the 2018 season, Cook is in a hotly contested race for a shock Dally M Medal in a year that has also seen him honoured with a NSW jersey.
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Most impressively, the 66-game hooker stood up the game’s premier No.9 in Cameron Smith last weekend with one of the brilliant individual tries of the season.
Canterbury on the other hand have had little confidence in their rake options, juggling between Lichaa, regular halfback Jeremy Marshall-King and former Shark Fa’amanu Brown.
But that is only one of their worrying holes with little talent to boast in both the forward and backs after a salary cap debacle forced a dramatic overhaul to their roster with marquee players Aaron Woods and Moses Mbye being granted early releases.
Not only does Mortimer regret Cook’s departure, the former board member still holds guilt over the exits of clubmen James Graham and Josh Reynolds who made an integral contribution to the club’s culture.
‘’Dean Pay was given a mess after the former coach (Des Hasler),’’ Mortimer said.
‘’We should have never let our players go. I think James Graham has been an absolutely wonderful leader for the Bulldogs and Josh Reynolds, who is a down-right local Bulldogs player, I’m hoping one day that maybe we can get him back.
‘’Those two players I think we miss big time.
‘’We also had Damien Cook under Des Hasler and there were just things Des couldn’t see in him and now he’s probably going to be a Dally M Medallist this year.
‘’I’m very sorry that we (Bulldogs board) missed Damien Cook.’’
The key losses are another stain on an ill-advised recruitment and retention plan that has also seen Sea Eagles star Martin Taupau part ways with the club.
Like Reynolds, Mortimer has his fingers crossed Canterbury can complete a homecoming at some point in the future.
‘’If Marty Taupau wants to come back, I will welcome him with open arms,’’ he said.
‘’He’s a wonderful player, he’s a dangerous player, he’s a great player, can offload the ball and would be a great asset for the Bulldogs.’’
It’s a wild dream that will have to wait until 2021 with the Bulldogs unable to lure any big name signings for three years under salary cap restrictions.
At a fan forum in May, club officials revealed they had to fill five remaining roster spots with just $500,000 meaning players could only sign on minimum wage.
Canterbury coach Dean Pay has put his faith in the club’s more affordable youth to turn their fortunes around, letting halves pairing Lachlan Lewis – who recently signed a two-year extension – and Jeremy Marshall-King take the steering wheel.
Despite their financial troubles, the Bulldogs have managed to sign promising Newcastle fullback Nick Meaney, Panthers winger Christian Crichton and Knights playmaker Jack Cogger in a rebuild of their roster.
There are reports they have made a play at Brisbane second-rower Corey Oates, however it is believed he rejected their offer
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