South Sydney have undergone an attitude adjustment before their NRL blockbuster against Melbourne with Damien Cook warning they risked being the victim of a Storm onslaught if they didn’t.
Hooker Cook concedes the Rabbitohs are coming off “probably our worst performance of the year” after they let in 39 points in their upset loss to Cronulla on the weekend.
Souths have worked hard to ensconce themselves in the top four in 2019 but finals intensity has come early for Wayne Bennett’s side as they prepare to face the ladder leaders at Central Coast Stadium on Sunday.
Cook said their fate against the Storm would depend on their attitude which he says was found to be lacking against the Sharks.
“You don’t lose your fitness, you don’t lose your strength or your ability and skill overnight,” Cook said.
“We’ve just got to get our minds right, make sure our attitudes are right, have the right focus as a team, all as one.
“On the weekend we were a bit disjointed. Sometimes when it wasn’t going our way, we tried to solve it ourselves.
“We’ve got to stay as a unit and be one team. Especially against Melbourne.”
Cook said he was relishing in the challenge of coming up against Storm skipper Cameron Smith.
And he said the Storm represented the ultimate test for the Rabbitohs, saying: “You can play your best game of footy and still get beaten by them.”
The NSW Origin No.9 said Craig Bellamy’s side had a way of bringing out the best in their opposition because they had no other choice.
They rolled through Brisbane last week and Cook said they risked the same fate if they didn’t lift with them.
“This weekend is going to be really good for us after the performance we put in on the weekend, it just wasn’t up to scratch for us,” Cook said.
“We’re five weeks out from the finals now. You should turn up every week.
“You come up against a team like Melbourne, they’ve been the benchmark for the last 10 years.
“Everyone’s attitude has to be right this weekend. We’ve got to make sure everyone plays their best game of footy or else Melbourne will put a show on.”
The Rabbitohs could be without skipper Sam Burgess who is on Tuesday night appearing at the judiciary in a bid to have a careless high tackle charge downgraded in a bid to play against the Storm.