Cooper Clarke
Australian rugby league footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
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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 30 June 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father | Leo Clarke | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Zakauri Clarke (brother) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Background
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
Early career
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
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
- 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
| † | 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]