Veteran hooker Damien Cook has reportedly agreed to join the Dragons on a two-year contract for the 2025 and 2026 NRL seasons.
According to Fox Sports, Cook broke the news to his teammates on Wednesday morning at the club’s headquarters and will head to the Dragons on a reported contract worth $500,000 per season.
Linked with a potential mid-season switch to the club before the June 30 deadline, he will remain at the Rabbitohs for the remainder of the 2024 NRL season.
The move to the Red V comes after it seemed all but certain that he would leave the Rabbitohs at the end of the season and was linked with a potential move to the Sydney Roosters.
It also comes after news broke during last week, that the Dragons were planning to prepare a two-year contract to recruit his services after missing out on the signature of Dolphins hooker Jeremy Marshall-King.
A veteran of the Rabbitohs with 196 club games under his belt in the NRL, the Cook’s future has been in limbo due to the Rabbitohs’ poor form – that saw him dropped to the NSW Cup – over the past two seasons, the emergence of younger hooker Peter Mamouzelos and salary cap restraints.
Despite sitting close to the bottom of the NRL ladder, the Rabbitohs are paying significant wages to Latrell Mitchell, Campbell Graham, Cameron Murray, Cody Walker, Tevita Tatola, Keaon Koloamatangi, Jai Arrow and Jack Wighton.
The former NSW Blues and Kangaroos hooker is currently on a wage of $650,000 per season until the end of 2025, meaning his salary will be lowered by $100,000 when he joins the Dragons at the end of the season.