mccooke, a caulfield city recruit, made his debut for st kilda in the 1955 vfl season. used mostly as a follower or forward, mccooke kicked three goals for st kilda in his second league game, a win over north melbourne at junction oval, which ended a 12 game losing streak. he played seven games that season, then only seconds fixtures in 1956, followed by three senior appearances in 1957 and another three in 1958.