Damien Cook

Damien Cook (born 23 June 1991) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a hooker for the St.George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL and Australia at international level.

[citation needed] He played his junior rugby league for the Helensburgh Tigers, before being signed by the Penrith Panthers.

On 28 May 2018, Cook was selected to play for NSW against Queensland in the 2018 State of Origin series after a number of good performances at club level.

[22] Cook was part of the Souths side which finished 3rd on the table at the end of the regular season and made it all the way to the preliminary final before being defeated by arch rivals the Sydney Roosters 12–4.

[23] He capped a stellar season by earning selection in the Australian Kangaroos team as starting hooker for Test matches against New Zealand and Tonga.

[26][27] Cook made a total of 26 appearances for Souths in the 2019 NRL season as the club finished third on the table and qualified for the finals.

Cook had a game to forget in the preliminary final which culminated when he missed a one on one tackle with Canberra forward Josh Papalii who scored under the posts to win the match 16–10.

[35] He played a total of 24 games for South Sydney in the 2021 NRL season including the club's grand final loss to Penrith.

[36] In round 6 of the 2022 NRL season, Cook scored his first career hat-trick in South Sydney's 36–16 victory over Canterbury.

[40] Cook played a total of 23 games throughout the year as South Sydney finished 9th on the table and missed the finals.

Cook played a total of 23 games for South Sydney in his final year at the club as they finished 16th on the table.

[43] On 13 January, Cook was named co-captain of the Dragons alongside team mate Clinton Gutherson for the 2025 season.

Cook playing for the Bulldogs