Rising Storm sensation Cooper Clarke has revealed the true story behind his incredible weight loss transformation.

Clarke tipped the scales at 150kg when he was in year 8 before his brother inspired him to rediscover his love for footy.

His story has been told in the past, but he said a few details were mixed up and he wasn’t 145kg when he got to the Storm system as was reported earlier this year.

Storm fans are glad that he’s turned into the player he is, with the 19-year-old destined for higher honours if he continues on this path.

Clarke has played 14 games for Melbourne in his rookie season and looks at home in the NRL six years after his life and the entire world were rocked by Covid.

“I was in school in year 8 when it hit, and there was no footy,” the proud St Gregory’s College alumnus told the NewsWire.

“I was just at home playing PlayStation and pretty much eating anything I could get my hands on, not being able to run around.

“At the back end of year 8, which would have been 2020, I got up to around 145-150 kilos – not last year like others have said.”

Clarke could’ve been a wasted talent had things stayed the same, but his older brother inspired him to get back on track, sparking an incredible transformation.

Zakauri Clarke is in the Panthers system and is killing it for them in NSW Cup, with his wise words helping his younger brother turn his life around off the field.

“Looking back at it, I probably could have run around and been in better shape than I am now, but that’s what happened,” Cooper said.

“The support of my family and watching the hard work of my brother helped, and he’s probably the reason I’m here along with my mum and dad because they got me to work hard.

“I just saw what he was doing during the back end of Covid. Towards the front end, I didn’t want to do anything; I was just eating everything and anything. But I knew I had to give it one more shot.

“There have been a few coaches along the way who tried to help, but my brother was probably the main one. Watching him work hard and be relentless in his pursuit really drove me.

“I moved to the Sunny Coast a few years later and I got back down to 100 kilos, so it was about a 45-kilo difference in a couple of years.

“I gave up a lot of food and sacrificed a lot of things, like going out with my mates to the shops. I knew I had to knuckle down, focus on my diet, watch what I was eating and go to the gym while I could.

“Five or six years ago, I never imagined I’d be 19 playing in the NRL. I never imagined I’d debut for the Storm, so it’s all just been a whirlwind and a dream.”

Clarke’s sacrifices paid off and he represented NSW in the under-19 State of Origin match last year, while he also helped the Storm win the Jersey Flegg premiership.

Nelson Asofa-Solomona’s decision to quit rugby league, coupled with the devastating injury to Eli Katoa, meant there was a spot for him in first grade that he snatched and hasn’t let go of.

His best spot is in the middle as the Eels discovered both in his debut game and at Magic Round, but the youngster has also had to fill in on an edge where he’s played outside of superstar Cameron Munster.

“I think sometimes it does (sink in) but then sometimes you look back at it and I’m in awe of who you’re playing with and against,” Clarke said, having recently signed an extension to stay in Melbourne until 2029.

“Mostly when I’m about to go to bed, it’ll hit me like, ‘Oh, I’m actually doing this. I’m living out my dream’. But it probably hasn’t settled in all the time yet.

“I’m more confident in myself (than I was back in round 1). I’m able to showcase what I have more than trying to sit back and stick to myself.

“Just before every game, I try to remind myself why I’m doing it. I grew up having fun playing it (so I try to show that on the field). If you’re not having fun and enjoying it, then your heart’s not really all in it.

“I just try to have fun and try not to look at it too seriously. I feel like the games where I look at it too seriously, I get inside my head a bit too much, and it can force me to make mistakes. But if I’m having fun, then I know things are just going to flow.”