Debuting with AFL club Essendon in 1994 as a 19-year-old, Cockatoo-Collins slowly started to improve his game.
Cockatoo-Collins kept on playing for the Port Adelaide Magpies, becoming a solid contributor to the team.
Cockatoo-Collins then played for United in the Adelaide Plains Football League in 2007 and 2008, missing the 2007 grand final.
Cockatoo-Collins had a small role in the 2005 Australian movie Look Both Ways, starring William McInnes and Justine Clarke.
Cockatoo-Collins's younger twin brothers David and Donald also played for Port Adelaide Football Club and in the AFL for Melbourne.