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Reports that Quade Cooper has taken a significant step towards signing with a French club at the end of this season should send shivers up the spines of all rugby fans north of the Tweed.
Granted, saying that Cooper is not everyone’s cup of tea would be a first rate contender for understatement of the year, but there can be no doubt about his value to the code in Queensland.
When announcements came that Will Genia and James Horwill were packing up after the World Cup, sighs of resignation and a glum shrug of the shoulders were about all Reds fans could muster. Neither announcement came as a shock, and there was a distinct feeling that one couldn’t begrudge these loyal servants their superannuation package.
Beneath this magnanimous generosity, though, was something far more ruthless: the cold hard fact that Reds fans knew we had seen the best of Horwill and Genia, and that we were unlikely to see them reach the heights of past glories again. This tempered the reaction to their defection, and the rugby public got on with their lives pretty quickly.
Cooper, on the other hand, is a different story. His 2011 Super Rugby season was one of the greatest by any Australian player in the history of the competition, as he not only played a major role in Queensland ending their title drought, but almost single handedly helped the Reds average a better home crowd than the mighty Broncos, and made the Reds the most talked about football team in this league-mad state.
After helping the Wallabies to a Rugby Championship title, things went horribly off the rails for Cooper and the Wallabies at the World Cup. After a torturous campaign in New Zealand, Cooper ignited Australia’s best performance of the tournament in the bronze medal playoff against Wales, only to suffer a major knee injury after only 20 minutes.
The next four years would bring as many injuries as highlights for Cooper, and herein lies the frustration for rugby fans. For all of the horrible moments when we have cursed his impetuous nature or poor decision making – and there have been plenty – there is no doubt that Cooper has shown signs of improvement. One could even entertain the tantalising suggestion that we have yet to see the best of him.
His performances for the Wallabies at the end of 2013 showcased a playmaker who was learning to manage a Test, while not completely losing the flair that gave him an important point of difference. The fact that injuries have prevented him from putting full seasons back-to-back in this period means we still don’t really know how good he is, or could be.
This positive trajectory in performance, despite the obstacles, illustrates precisely why Queensland needs to fight to keep him in red, while happily wishing his two partners in crime all the best for the future.
It is beyond rebuke that many rugby fans will be happy to see the back of Cooper, and there is plenty of evidence to suggest that they are on solid ground in wishing him a speedy farewell. I would argue, however, that he is now more valuable to Queensland rugby than ever before.
At 27, there is still time for him to aim for the 2019 World Cup, allowing himself the overseas sojourn at 31. Queensland needs some kind of foundation upon which to rebuild, and Cooper, Liam Gill and James Slipper should form this base. Losing his experience from the backline next year would sentence the Reds to an indefinite place in Super Rugby’s cellar.
The challenge for Cooper now is to write his own history. How does he want to be remembered? As a divisive, frustrating character who was undoubtedly talented but didn’t produce enough to be listed amongst the greats?
I would challenge Cooper to be the man who stayed to rebuild the Reds into a team worthy of that great jersey, a man who overcame his struggles to reinvent his game and lead the next generation back to the top.
If nothing else, Cooper should stay to prove to himself just how good he can be. If he leaves our shores now, we, and more importantly he, will never know.
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.