Cooper Clarke (born 17 July 2006) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or 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 Melbourne Storm Greg Brentnall SG Ball U19s Player of the Year: 2025 Melbourne Storm Billy Slater Rookie of the Year: 2026 RLPA Rookie of the Year: 2026
Club 2025 Jersey Flegg Cup Winners
Representative 2025 U19s State of Origin NSW representative
Career statistics +†Denotes seasons in which Clarke won the Premiership +Junior league statisticsSeasonTeamCompetition2023Western Suburbs MagpiesHarold Matthews Cup720082024Sunshine Coast FalconsMal Meninga Cup9300122025Melbourne StormSG Ball Cup1190036 2025† Jersey Flegg Cup1430012 Reference(s):https://www.ourfootyteam.com.au/blog/player/cooper-clarke/
+NRL statisticsSeasonTeam2026Melbourne Storm242008 Reference(s):
References
External links Melbourne Storm profile