Young gun opens up on shedding 50kg after winning top award
Storm young gun Cooper Clarke opened up on his “really hard” mission to shed 50 kilograms after he was announced as the winner of a prestigious Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) award on Monday night.
Clarke, 20, was unveiled as the RLPA Players’ Rookie of the Year – an award voted by NRL players – on Nine’s 100% Footy.
Cooper Clarke takes a carry in his rookie season with Melbourne. NRL Imagery
The rising forward got the nod over Newcastle’s Francis Manuleleua, Gold Coast’s Oliver Pascoe, Canberra’s Ethan Sanders and St George Illawarra’s Setu Tu, who had also been nominated as finalists.
Andrew Johns asked Clarke on the 100% Footy panel about his journey from 150kg down to 100kg.
Specifically, the rugby league Immortal asked him what he learned about himself.
“I think I learned that I had very bad eating habits,” he grinned, drawing laughter from the panel and live audience.
“And I should probably stop stacking my cupboards with chocolate and all that.
“It was really hard dropping that weight, but I had my family and my mates all supporting me when I was doing it, so it made it a lot easier.”
Clarke packed on the kilos as the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the world. In year eight at the time, he spent hours upon hours each day playing PlayStation, eating, and doing little else.
He was inspired by his brother Zakauri to drop weight and rediscover his love of footy.
Incidentally, Zakauri on Saturday scored two tries to help Penrith’s NSW Cup team beat Newcastle 44-20 and advance to the grand final.
Cooper played 24 NRL games in his rookie season with Melbourne, sometimes starting in the second row and on other occasions coming off the bench.
“Reflecting on the season now, it’s honestly been quite unreal,” he said.
Cooper Clarke had an outstanding rookie season for the Storm. Getty Images
“At the start of the year I was [thinking], ‘I don’t know if I should be here’, but the players and coaches give me the confidence to go out there every week and believe in myself.”
As for winning the player-voted Rookie of the Year award?
“It’s honestly unreal,” he said.
“Coming from the players – you’re playing against some guys who are going to be Immortals soon – the fact that I can be voted for this is unreal.”
A host of other RLPA award winners will be announced in the coming days, building up to the reveal of Players’ Champion – both NRL and NRLW – on 100% Footy on September 28.
