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I’ve got this theory Quade Cooper is actually a good bloke. Now before you mutter “rubbish” under your breath, bear with me.
I’m not a Queensland Reds fan or a part of the Khoder Nassar management clique that seems to embrace every ‘troubled’ Australian sportsman.
My belief is born of the simple suspicion that, behind the touted arrogant facade, the mercurial 24-year Cooper is just a young man who wants to do what is right for himself and his family.
A cliche, perhaps, but cliches are important indicators of human behaviour.
As a New Zealander, it has been thumped into me since birth the All Blacks are my sole religion. Men who sport the green and gold are considered both fetid and foe, none more so than those few traitorous Kiwi ‘Wallabies’ who stand facing the Haka, instead of performing it.
The New Zealand hate campaign directed at Cooper (yes, he’s a Kiwi) at last year’s Rugby World Cup did not once prompt me to think ‘poor guy’. I was as vocal in my cries for his (on-field) blood as any.
I’ve also bagged Cooper numerous times, made many references about what a dick he is, and I too laughed out loud when I heard how he, like bestie Sonny Bill Williams, wants to take a swing at boxing.
Disturbingly, however, I recently came across a picture of Cooper doing voluntary work for Zig Zag, a children’s charity, for whom he is an ambassador.
It got me thinking how easy it is to ignore the good in people and how completely the positive side of Australia’s most despised sportsman has been buried under public loathing.
For many years, Cooper has lent his name to charity work, to which he also continuously donates time and memorabilia. One on occasion, off his own bat, he even drove out to flood-ravaged Warra State School in Queensland, just to play a game of touch and bring a smile to the faces of the small community.
Does this make him an angel? No, but it draws a picture at odds with the media-sketched caricature of a self-absorbed brat.
We never hear about Cooper’s financial support of his family, nor how he donates his sponsored Qantas flights to friends and relatives. This is not a man completely driven by “me”.
I spoke with Cooper’s Reds and Wallabies teammate Saia Fainga’a who is adamant Australia’s revulsion for his friend is fuelled not by accuracy but the media’s barrage of negative opinion.
“The person Quade is perceived to be by the public is completely different to what we see as friends and teammates; a genuine person who puts the team first,” says Fainga’a from his Brisbane base.
“He is one of the hardest trainers on the field and one of the hardest workers off it, especially with his charity work. He’s the first bloke to put his hand up if anyone needs anything, he’s always happy to help out around the place and unfortunately people don’t want to talk about that side of him”.
So I got to thinking.
What if we’ve simply witnessed one of Australia’s biggest sporting stars being honest about why he is not firing on the field? And for this he was crucified by the ARU with a $60,000 fine and a very public “we don’t want you”.
I’m sure every person reading this has at one time or another been in a position where no matter how much you tried, things wouldn’t fall into place; where you turn up to work with a positive attitude, a promise to yourself not to let the boss get under your skin and yet … crap happened.
Perhaps, just perhaps, this was Cooper’s thinking too, only no matter what or how hard he tried, crap happened.
Like the knee injury earlier this year and Cooper’s unwise proclamation on live TV the Wallabies environment was “destroying me as a person and as a player”.
“At the moment with having all his trouble with the media, coming back and forth from the Wallabies as well as being injured, it’s hard for him,” Fainga’a goes on.
“People underestimate just what he is capable of.”
Maybe we will never see what Cooper is capable of. Or maybe we are yet to see his best.
Either way, sadly, it won’t stop the hating.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.