The injury-hit Queensland Reds’ fortunes look to be changing, with Quade Cooper set to return from injury after the bye week against the Lions.
Along with James O’Connor, Cooper’s return will provide structure and depth into a Reds side who have been reaching deep into their squad for backs replacements following injuries to Lachie Turner, O’Connor and Cooper and the suspension of Karmichael Hunt.
Nick Frisby, a halfback, has been filling in at fly half, and Ben Tapuai was selected at fullback for the Brumbies match.
The return of O’Connor and Cooper will help restore the Reds backline to some sense of normality, after he was ruled out of the opening portion of the season with a collarbone injury.
The Reds are 1-4 heading into their home game against the Lions, who will be finishing off a long tour of Australia and New Zealand. They are on a bye this week after their second loss to the Brumbies in 2015, and
Cooper said he hoped his prospective return against the Lions returned competition for spots at the Reds.
“Every time I pull on the jersey, it means so much to me.
“My very first start with the Reds was against the Lions in 2007.
“I’ve been preparing for this day for a long time, so hopefully the professionalism around the way I prepare, and bringing a dominant voice into the group, putting the guys in the right position will help us be a better team.”
“For me, this is a very important game, one I’m very excited about and, in terms of the bigger picture, being able to get out there and gain some game time will hopefully put myself in a good position later in the year with the World Cup looming.”
Cooper said it had been hard watching an injury-crippled Queensland slump to a 1-4 start to the season from the sidelines.
“The team’s performance hasn’t been our best,” he said.
“We’re very disappointed with the way we’ve been playing.
“It’s been difficult for the guys having so many guys out with injuries but I feel like all the guys who had the opportunity have been able to gain some very valuable experience by being out there in some tough situations, which will put us in a good situation moving forward.
“The good thing with a lot of guys coming back from injury is that it creates good competition.
“Guys being able to make themselves available to play doesn’t mean they’re going to be walk-up starts for the next game.”
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