DAMIEN COOK has affirmed his commitment to Castleford Tigers, despite the departure of Ryan Carr.
Cook is among three players signed up to join next season from St George Illawarra Dragons, alongside Tyrell Sloan and Mat Feagai.
The trio all worked under Carr, who was an assistant coach at the Dragons before joining Castleford ahead of this year, and had outlined how important he had been to them signing for the West Yorkshire club.
But Carr left the Tigers earlier this month, leading to speculation those signings could backtrack on their moves.
Owner Martin Jepson and director of rugby Chris Chester have since spoken with Cook, Sloan and Feagai over their futures.
Cook is certainly adamant he will still be making the move to the Tigers on his two-year deal, however, telling the AAP: “I’ll be over there.
“I’ve had the conversations with my wife and my kids and obviously it’s a big move for them as well. But once I had them on board we’ve really been focused on that. I’m committed to that.
“This great game has given me a lot, and it’s just another thing that’s going to give me a chance to go overseas, play footy over there and show the kids the world.”
The veteran hooker admitted he had spoken to Carr since the latter’s exit, but didn’t want to get ‘too involved’ in those events.
But he has backed Carr to return to coaching sooner rather than later.
Cook said: “He’s put a lot of effort into that and no doubt he’s hurting. He’s a very passionate person and that’s a big reason why we went there.
“I’m not sure exactly what he’s got planned. No doubt he’ll find something. I really loved him as a coach and that’s obviously a reason why I was connecting with him over there.”