Castleford Tigers have started their recruitment for 2027 early with two NRL players headlining the deals and the first of those, Damien Cook, has revealed how the switch happened.
It’s no surprise that he has confirmed Ryan Carr to have a major influence on the move, with the Castleford Tigers boss formerly an assistant at Cook’s St George Illawarra Dragons.
The veteran hooker has admitted to the Sydney Morning Herald that he was ‘filthy’ when St George backflipped on a one-year contract extension following the sacking of Shane Flanagan, with that decision prompting the former New South Wales representative to look further afield and sign a two-year deal at Wheldon Road.
“Recruitment made it clear that they’re on the lookout for a couple of younger hookers,” Cook revealed, prompting him to look elsewhere.
“Next thing you know, Ryan Carr reached out. I just saw it as a really good opportunity to change it up, take the family over there and go on a bit of an adventure.
“Carry’s sold ‘Cas Vegas’ to me. The best thing is that I’ve made a decision now, and I get to really enjoy this last year with the Dragons.”
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Castleford Tigers signing admits hurt over NRL exit
Cook, who made his 250th NRL appearance when St George took on Penrith on Sunday morning in the final game of the NRL’s Magic Round, went on to admit that he did hold hard feelings over his impending St George exit.
He said: “When you feel like you give so much to them, when those sorts of things happen, it can hurt a bit.
“I definitely respected the business side of the thing, but obviously because I was involved in it, emotionally invested in it, there were definitely a tough couple of weeks where I was filthy at the decision.”
However, now that a decision has been made, the 34-year-old is keen for his move to Castleford, where he will be joined by St George teammate Mat Feagai, the Tigers’ latest signing.
“I obviously wanted to stay – you’d love to stay here. But the decision’s been made now and I’m actually really excited about it. I’m happy that the future’s been sorted and I can really rip in and do whatever I can to make sure this club finishes off the season well.”
