Cook told the Herald Sun that the Cats, the dominant team of the past two seasons, would be forced to lose one or two players if not for the sacrifices being made across the board.
This year, Geelong will pay out over $8m in player salaries, taking it to the maximum of the salary cap.
"We're still up around $400,000 to $500,000 on last year and right on our limit ... We don't overpay and we don't underpay," he said.
"We know our top 20 players would get on average 10 per cent to 15 per cent more at other clubs ... That equates to pretty good money, from $30,000 to $50,000 [a year].
"It augurs well for what we are trying to achieve as a football club this year. There is a real quiet determination here."
Cook said the willingness of the players to stay together and sacrifice money was reflective of a wider team ethos.
"One of our aims is not to pay the best player the highest amount in the AFL, but to pay the highest set of medians. We want our No.22 player to be paid the highest of any No.22 in the League.
"Everyone knows we have a good list and we have opportunities of playing finals.
"Some could command more elsewhere but, if you lose half the extra $50,000 in tax and you go somewhere where you mightn't necessarily play finals, what's the point? You're in a new environment -- and it mightn't work."
Making amends for last season's upset grand final loss to Hawthorn is obviously a major driving factor behind the players' salary sacrifices, and Cook said the experience was being used to sharpen the club's focus in 2009.
"We had a bad day and are focused entirely on 2009," he said.
"But you have to take on board the lessons learnt and put strategies in place to make sure it never happens again."
