Cooper Clarke

Cooper Clarke
Personal information
Full nameCooper Clarke
Born (2006-07-17) 17 July 2006 (age 20)
Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia
Height188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight110 kg (17 st 5 lb)
Playing information
PositionProp, Lock, Second-row
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2026– Melbourne Storm 24 2 0 0 8
Source:
As of 3 October 2026
FatherLeo Clarke
RelativesZakauri 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).

Background

Clarke was born in Campbelltown, New South Wales, and is of Māori descent through his father, former NRL player Leo Clarke.

He is the brother of Penrith Panthers forward Zakauri Clarke.

Playing career

Early career

Clarke played his junior rugby league for the Eagle Vale St Andrews and Ingleburn Tigers, before joining the Western Suburbs Magpies pathways system, playing in the Magpies Harold Matthews Cup squad in 2023. Initially Clarke struggled with motivation at the Magpies and did not receive much game time. He was knocked back for trials with both the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and St. George Illawarra Dragons junior representative teams during this time.

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. 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. He was described by Falcons coach Cam Boaza as "a fantastic young fella, hard worker, and a genuinely nice kid."

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. 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.

Melbourne Storm

After impressing coaches and teammates during preseason training, Clarke made his NRL debut in round 1 of the 2026 NRL season against the Parramatta Eels.

Quickly maturing on the field, on 1 April 2026, Melbourne Storm announced that Clarke had signed a contract extension until the end of the 2029 season.

Honours

Individual
Club
Representative

Career statistics

† Denotes seasons in which Clarke won the Premiership
Junior league statistics
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

Reference(s):

NRL statistics
Season Team App T G GK % FG Pts
2026 Melbourne Storm 24 2 0 N/a 0 8

Reference(s):

References

  1. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/DVlWI-oEjWq/?img_index=11
  2. ↑ https://www.nine.com.au/sport/nrl/videos/storm-debutant-details-huge-weight-loss/cmmdebbdf00160hqrm0uq7tjt
  3. 1 2 "Cooper Clarke". www.nrl.com. NRL. Archived from the original on 5 March 2026. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Cooper Clarke Playing Career". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Rugby League Project. Archived from the original on 24 June 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 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.
  6. 1 2 3 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.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. 1 2 "Storm Junior Rep U17 and U19 Awards night". melbournestorm.com.au. 16 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  9. 1 2 Gavin, Tahlie (28 September 2025). "Future bright in Melbourne as young guns Storm to Jersey Flegg title". nswrl.com.au. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ 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.
  12. ↑ Ferreira, Kye (1 April 2026). "Storm secure NAS replacement for the future". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ "Fa'alogo crowned Storm Player of the Year". melbournestorm.com.au. 6 September 2026. Archived from the original on 6 September 2026. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
  15. ↑ "Cooper Clarke wins 2026 Players' Rookie of the Year". RLPA. Archived from the original on 15 September 2026. Retrieved 15 September 2026.
  16. ↑ "Round 1: QLD U19s v NSW U19s | NSWRL". New South Wales Rugby League. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  17. ↑ "Cooper Clarke". 18thman.com. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  18. ↑ https://www.ourfootyteam.com.au/blog/player/cooper-clarke/