Cooper Clarke
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Cooper Clarke | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 17 July 2006 Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Prop, Lock, Second-row | |||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 24 June 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father | Leo Clarke | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Zakauri Clarke (brother) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Cooper Clarke (born 17 July 2006) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row or prop forward for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League (NRL).[1]
Background
[edit]Clarke was born in Campbelltown, New South Wales,[3] and is of Māori descent through his father, former NRL player Leo Clarke.[3][4]
He is the brother of Penrith Panthers forward Zakauri Clarke.[3]
Playing career
[edit]Early career
[edit]Clarke played his junior rugby league for the Eagle Vale St Andrews and Ingleburn Tigers,[3] before joining the Western Suburbs Magpies pathways system, playing in the Magpies Harold Matthews Cup squad in 2023.[3] Initially Clarke struggled with motivation at the Magpies and did not receive much game time.[4] He was knocked back for trials with both the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and St. George Illawarra Dragons junior representative teams during this time.[4]
Clarke attended St Gregory's College, Campbelltown before relocating to the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, where he completed his schooling at Caloundra State High School after joining the Melbourne Storm Academy.[3] Playing with the Sunshine Coast Falcons in the Queensland Rugby League's Mal Meninga Cup, Clarke was voted by fans as the competition's "Weapon of the Year" in 2024.[5]He was described by Falcons coach Cam Boaza as "a fantastic young fella, hard worker, and a genuinely nice kid."[3]
During the 2025 season, Clarke represented New South Wales Under-19s and was named as the Melbourne Storm's S.G. Ball Cup Player of the Year.[6] He was a member of the Melbourne Storm's 2025 Jersey Flegg Cup winning team, scoring a try in the club's 38–16 win over the Penrith Panthers in the Grand Final.[7][3]
Melbourne Storm
[edit]After impressing coaches and teammates during preseason training,[3] Clarke made his NRL debut in round 1 of the 2026 NRL season against the Parramatta Eels.[8]
Quickly maturing on the field,[9] on 1 April 2026, Melbourne Storm announced that Clarke had signed a contract extension until the end of the 2029 season.[10][11]
Honours
[edit]- Individual
- Melbourne Storm Greg Brentnall SG Ball U19s Player of the Year: 2025[6]
- Club
- 2025 Jersey Flegg Cup Winners[7]
- Representative
- 2025 U19s State of Origin NSW representative[12]
Career statistics
[edit]| † | Denotes seasons in which Clarke won the Premiership |
| Season | Team | Competition | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Western Suburbs Magpies | Harold Matthews Cup | 7 | 2 | 0 | N/a | 0 | 8 |
| 2024 | Sunshine Coast Falcons | Mal Meninga Cup | 9 | 3 | 0 | N/a | 0 | 12 |
| 2025 | Melbourne Storm | SG Ball Cup | 11 | 9 | 0 | N/a | 0 | 36 |
| 2025† | Jersey Flegg Cup | 14 | 3 | 0 | N/a | 0 | 12 |
| Season | Team | App | T | G | GK % | FG | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Melbourne Storm | 13 | 2 | 0 | N/a | 0 | 8 |
Reference(s):[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Cooper Clarke". www.nrl.com. NRL. Archived from the original on 5 March 2026. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ^ a b "Cooper Clarke Playing Career". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Rugby League Project. Archived from the original on 24 June 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Franklin, Eddie (4 March 2026). "Melbourne Storm unveil 19-year-old Cooper Clarke for a highly anticipated NRL debut". Code Sports. Sydney, New South Wales: News Corporation Australia. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ^ a b c Read, Brent (9 May 2026). "NRL rising star Cooper Clarke to face Wests Tigers after painful rejection". Code Sports. Sydney, New South Wales: News Corporation Australia. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ^ Arnold, Rikki-Lee (22 May 2024). "Cooper Clarke wins the vote for 2024 Mal Meninga Cup weapon of the year". qrl.com.au. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- ^ a b "Storm Junior Rep U17 and U19 Awards night". melbournestorm.com.au. 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
- ^ a b Gavin, Tahlie (28 September 2025). "Future bright in Melbourne as young guns Storm to Jersey Flegg title". nswrl.com.au. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ^ Walter, Brad (4 March 2026). "Bellamy calls on teen giant as Storm put epic Rd 1 record on the line". NRL.com. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ^ Franklin, Eddie (28 May 2026). "From a phone detox to a 2029 Storm extension: The simple off-field change that unleashed teenage sensation Cooper Clarke". Code Sports. Sydney, New South Wales: News Corporation Australia. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ^ Ferreira, Kye (1 April 2026). "Storm secure NAS replacement for the future". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ^ Reid, Andrew (1 April 2026). "Melbourne Storm deal blow to rival NRL teams as young gun inks new long-term deal with club". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ^ "Round 1: QLD U19s v NSW U19s | NSWRL". New South Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ^ "Cooper Clarke". 18thman.com. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ^ https://www.ourfootyteam.com.au/blog/player/cooper-clarke/