St George Illawarra Dragons co-skipper Damien Cook will honour his two-year Castleford Tigers contract, which was announced in May.
Plenty of speculation has mounted on the departing Dragons trio of Cook, Mathew Feagai and Tyrell Sloan, who have all signed contracts to move to the Tigers in England.
But the move recently hit a roadblock following the mystery departure of head coach Ryan Carr.
Carr left the Red V at the end of 2025 after being in Wollongong for nearly three years, instead taking the head coaching gig at the English club.
The Tigers announced that Carr had stepped away from his role, and eventually parted ways with the club permanently due to "personal reasons."
Sloan and Feagai have both voiced their concern about Carr's departure, given he played a role in securing their signatures at Castleford for 2027 after their history at the Dragons.
Cook cleared the air, claiming he and his family will make the switch to England despite Carr leaving the club.
"I'll be over there," Cook told AAP on Tuesday.
"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."
Following the noise surrounding Carr's exit from the Tigers, Cook spoke directly with the club's head honchos to iron out any concerns about the British side moving forward.
"I told them how I felt about him, and obviously I spoke to the owner of the club and the general manager as well," he said.
"I didn't want to get too involved because I didn't want it to take away from just enjoying my time here. There's nothing I can do from over here.
"He's put a lot of effort into that and no doubt he's hurting. He's a very passionate person and obviously a big reason why we went there.
"He's got some good recruits, but 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."
The Dragons have two games left in their frustrating 2026 campaign, which was littered with tough performances for fans to experience.
Although a shining light emerged during the year, with the Red V's talented crop of junior forwards experiencing plenty of game-time and they now loom as genuine future stars.
The club moved to lock them all down, securing Dylan Egan, Hamish Stewart, the Couchman brothers, Loko Pasifiki Tonga and Jacob Halangahu long-term at the Dragons all within the last 12 months.
Compounded by a star-studded group of recruits arriving in Wollongong next year, the future is looking bright for the Dragons despite a dismal season of results not going their way.
The club will finish the season with matches against Manly in Brookvale, before returning home where Cook is set to play his final NRL match in front of his local crowd in Wollongong.
