2009 season:
A strong pre-season saw Cook make his AFL debut in round one against Collingwood. He had four kicks, seven handballs and three marks in a promising first game. He returned to Adelaide’s line up in round five and played in the Showdown in round six, fulfilling a boyhood dream. “That was something I’ve always wanted to do as a kid,” Cook said. “Playing out there was like a final, it was such a big game and just the pressure and the crowd added to it as well.” While Cook only featured in three games in 2009 he was able to take a lot out of the experience into 2010. “I learnt that you have to work a lot harder. It was good to play in structures. It was more difficult though to read the play and things like that. I was playing with blokes that I’ve looked up to for five or six years and it was just amazing to be able to do that, it was surreal.”

David Noble’s 2009 review:
“Cooky’s pre-season was really strong but his intensity dropped off during the year. In the last six weeks he regained some of that intensity and speed and his year was pretty strong overall. We’re looking forward to him being able to add some speed into our midfield with guys like David Mackay and Brad Symes. We’d like to think he can get another good pre-season under his belt and really take another step forward to be a regular part of our midfield group next year.”

Career:
Cook was selected at pick 38 in the 2007 draft. He played just six games in the SANFL in 2008 because of hamstring issues but his late season form in the South Adelaide reserves saw him make his league debut in the last round. He spent the first 12 years of his life living in Adelaide and supported the Crows as a youngster.