New Cutters Kai O’Donnell and Adam Cook arrive in Mackay for first training session

Kai O’Donnell and Adam Cook have arrived in Mackay ready to hit the pitch and get to know their new teammates ahead of the Cutters’ clash with PNG.

It has been a whirlwind few days for new Cutters Kai O’Donnell and Adam Cook, but the pair has arrived in Mackay ready to meet their new teammates.

The halfback and edge forward were told they wouldn’t enter the NRL bubble with Canberra, and the Raiders agreed to release the pair.

The Cutters pounced on the opportunity to add NRL experience to their young squad, with the two players bound for Mackay the next day.

O’Donnell said it had been a whirlwind since he received the news of his release.

“It’s been a pretty crazy few days, it’s been pretty short notice when we found out about all the Covid stuff,” he said.

“We packed up the house and left the next day, but I’m glad to not hang around and miss training sessions.”

O’Donnell and Cook will slot straight into the starting squad, and Cook said the lure of returning home was too strong to ignore.

The Charters Towers native cut his teeth in junior rugby league at Townsville Brothers, moving up through the ranks including to the Blackhawks before signing with Canberra in 2019.

“With the way things are at the moment I thought it was best to be around family,” Cook said.

“When Mackay said they were keen I was ready to jump on the opportunity.”

Crawley said he hoped Cook’s versatility would offer the Cutters an opportunity to play him in a number of positions, but he saw the signing primarily as a halfback.

“Adam can play at fullback as well as in the halves,” Crawley said.

“He’ll start in the halves this week and hopefully he can bring some energy to the team.”