Entering the final 12 months of his current contract with the St George Illawarra Dragons, the club’s co-captain, Damien Cook, may find himself playing a little longer in the Red V jersey.
Uncontracted beyond the conclusion of the 2026 NRL season, multiple sources have told Zero Tackle that the Dragons are keen on extending Cook, but a decision depends on how well he holds up next season and if he wants to continue playing.
Arriving at the club at the start of the year after a nine-year stint with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the 34-year-old proved that he still belongs on the field and created a formidable one-two combination with Jacob Liddle.
In 24 matches, the 17-time NSW Blues representative made 1,018 tackles at a 95% efficiency rate, ran for over 1,200 metres and was a leader on and off the field, helping develop the younger members of the squad.
“It’s been great. It’s worked really well and I love training alongside him,” Cook said on the younger dummy-half.
“He comes on and just picks the right times to run and that’s our plan to try them out a little bit in the middle and then when he comes one we can both attack through the middle and get our forwards going.
“I think it’s a great little plan and no doubt we’ll tinker it a little bit next year as well. We can change it around and you can always adapt to who starts.”
A four-time international for Australia, Cook could easily play for a few more seasons but may transition to playing more of a role from the interchange bench, which would allow the one-two punch with Liddle to continue as the Dragons chase finals success.