After being used sparingly off the bench against NSW Swifts and Sunshine Coast Lightning, the 19-year-old was called up to start for Adelaide Thunderbirds against Collingwood.

Her opponent – Australian goalkeeper Sharni Layton.

“It was pretty scary,” Cook said.

“She’s the best goalkeeper in Australia at the moment.

“She’s a very strong personality and very loud on the court so she can be quite intimidating.

”I scored the first goal over her so I thought: ‘Yep, sweet’.

“It was a great experience.”

Cook scored eight goals from nine attempts in her one quarter and eight minutes on court against Collingwood at Hisense Arena last weekend.

The 201-centimetre shooter has 17 goals from 21 attempts this season.

Cook is hoping to get another opportunity against GWS Giants on Sunday.

“I just want to keep building on my performances and training,” she said.

“I want to take the opportunities with both hands.

“I’m trying to soak in as much as I can.

“Going into this I knew it would be tough with the ball speed down the court and the intensity and I’m just trying to do everything I can in my first year as a rookie.”

Cook signed a two-year contract with Adelaide Thunderbirds after crossing from ANL side Victorian Fury.

“It’s very different to Melbourne,” she said.

“I knew it would be strong and it is.

“All the Australian players and world class athletes are in the comp and spread out across the teams.

“Even though a few gaps are starting to appear on the ladder, it’s still a really tight competition.”

Cook said she was enjoying playing with Thunderbirds captain and star shooter Erin Bell.