Damien Cook has said he is still carrying hard feelings over the Dragons’ decision to pull the plug on his stay, after the club backflipped on an extension offer for 2027 and told him to look elsewhere. The 34-year-old hooker said the call hurt because he had been days away from securing a one-year extension before the club paused all contract talks amid a winless start to the season.
Cook was preparing for his 250th NRL game against the Panthers in Magic Round when he opened up about the fallout. He said he definitely respected the business side of the move, but admitted he was emotionally invested and was “filthy” at the decision. “When you feel like you give so much to them, when those sorts of things happen, it can hurt a bit,” he said.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Cook was filthy at being shown the door weeks after he looked set to extend his stay at the club for another season. That shift came after Shane Flanagan was sacked as coach, with interim boss Dean Young taking over and bringing in a youth mantra that changed the club’s direction. Cook said the club’s recruitment made it clear it was looking for “a couple of younger hookers”, and that he and his representatives asked several times about staying only to get the same answer each time.
“We asked a few times and sort of got the same response, so I had to let my manager know that we were going to have to look elsewhere and try and find something. Then next thing you know, Ryan Carr reached out,” Cook said. That led to a two year deal with the Castleford Tigers in Super League, where he will link up with former Dragons assistant and interim boss Ryan Carr.
The move brings a clean end to one chapter and, for Cook, a clear next step. He said he wanted to stay at the Dragons, but the decision had been made and the future was now sorted, leaving him focused on finishing the season well before ending his NRL career and heading to England. For the Dragons, the contract backflip has left one of their most experienced players openly stung, and the club’s shift toward youth has already reshaped the roster conversation.
