Reds coach Brad Thorn is perfectly entitled to drop Quade Cooper from his roster, but the decision may come back to bite him.
Cooper is one of Queensland’s favourite sons, having played 129 games for the club, and 70 internationals for the Wallabies.
The 30-year-old has been a divisive character for a large part of his career, but he was late to mature as both a player and a man.
And Queensland needs him.
It’s all very well for Thorn, a legendary footballer as an All Black-Kangaroo, wanting to bring on new talent for the future, but when push turns to shove – as it has lately – the Reds desperately need a playmaker pf the Cooper mould.
All looked well this season when the Reds won three Super Rugby games on the trot for the first time in three years, and only their second game overseas
in 21.
But they have lost their mojo in the last three and have the Chiefs and Lions in the next two rounds.
So they are looking down the barrel at five successive losses, which would be a return to the bad old days Thorn was hoping to erase.
AAP Image/Dave Hunt
Already the Reds are in debit on the scoreboard, having scored 131, but given up 183.
Their biggest problem is the lack of a playmaker, resulting in the inability to cross the stripe.
In seven games, they have scored only 13 tries, seven fewer than the pathetic Sunwolves, and well below the two top teams in the Australian conference – the Waratahs, with 30, and the Rebels’ 32.
Cooper can fix that problem overnight.
Selecting him will not only lift Queensland, but be a relief for Rugby Australia having to pay Cooper $650,000 a year just to play club rugby in Brisbane every week.
And if Thorn has any ambitions to coach the Wallabies once Michael Cheika calls halt, reinstating Cooper would be a shrewd move politically.
I would expect Thorn to have that ambition, simply because he has always wanted to be the best in both codes throughout his stellar career.
His track record is mighty impressive:
In rugby, he played 122 games for the Crusaders and 59 for the All Blacks, while his rugby league career spanned 200 games for the Broncos in two stints, and nine for the Kangaroos.
He was still playing rugby for Queensland Country when he was 41.
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Thorn reminds me of the legendary Tony Miller, who made his Wallaby debut in 1952 against Fiji, and played his 41st and final Test against the All Blacks in 1967 at the age of 38 years and 113 days – that’s still the record.
Add over 100 games for NSW in an era where state games were minimal, and the 23 years of first grade with Manly, with the 346 games that went with it, and ‘Slaggy’ Miller was one magnificent warrior.
And so was Brad Thorn, as a player.
How he fares as an elite rugby coach will be governed by his selections.
ARU SCHILL
Guest
But he is scared of Higgers,not Quade
Ruckin Oaf
Guest
Time - like Stiles time ? Why should Thorn get more time. Dismal rugby, massive thrashings, falling crowd numbers. That gives a coach more time ?
Ruckin Oaf
Guest
Meh "people were saying..." If it works for Donald Trump why shouldn't it work for Riddler - credibility plus there.
Ruckin Oaf
Guest
Hey Rebel, Do you have the inside scoup on who'll be coaching the Reds next year - do tell.
Fionn
Guest
I have heard that the Brumbies have approached QRU about him a couple of times.
Train without a station
Guest
But more time for players that weren’t considered good enough to even be dissected (Lance). If Thorn is going to be a good coach he won’t make silly calls based on logic like that where he rates players he saw fail lesser to players who weren’t good enough for him to see fail.
Train without a station
Guest
That’s great if the best 10s in the world do. Now what about the rest that don’t fall in these 5 players? Most Super Rugby 10s don’t defend well in the 10 Channel.
Train without a station
Guest
Nobody said they’d win no games. Stop repeating this rubbish.
Fox
Roar Guru
Misguided like so many championing for Thorn to let Cooper back in - for a start Thorn won't But even if he did, Thorn will want Cooper to be the flyhalf he wants as the coach, and the style he wants to play. Thorn doesn't like high risk and reward players like Cooper. People forget the complete dissecting of every weakness in QC game that the AB's would have gone through - and it would have been brutal. Bottom line is - and as Henry indicated in his book - the AB's viewed Cooper as player with talent but with a soft mental underbelly that could be got at - and they proved on more than one occasion that they were right. Thorn was apart of that AB side - so he would have little time for Cooper as a player and the kind of player he wants
Kirky
Roar Rookie
Fionn! ~ Be assured mate, if Hawera was any good at all, he'd still be in New Zealand and that's the simple fact of the matter, and in a slightly different scenario, so would Cooper! For mine I wouldn't have Quade Cooper on the end of my nose as a wart!! ~ I am yet to see him play a full 80 minutes of quality rugby as his deficiencies necessary as a First Five is sadly lacking and always have. He has no ability whatsoever of dictating play as a playmaker in a backline, as he's a self initiator, looks after Number one and in doing that he achieves not much at all! He looks good when he gets the ball, he dances around on the spot while he decides what side of the field he should run toward, not forward, as he may get hurt in a tackle, an art we all know he's averse to putting to use himself, therefore he gets hidden down the back on attack because he just won't tackle! Brad Thorn is well aware of his deficiencies and therefore he'll never make a team that he coaches, ~ same applies to the Wallaby team, they only have Foley and not much else but I bet Cheika doesn't pick Cooper! How did Cooper ever get to be on $600 big ones at all, whether or not he plays Club rugby or not,? ~ I wouldn't pay him $600 bucks!
Kirky
Roar Rookie
Fionn! ~ Be assured mate, if Hawera was any good at all, he'd still be in New Zealand and that's the simple fact of the matter, and in a slightly different scenario, so would Cooper! For mine I wouldn't have Quade Cooper on the end of my nose as a wart!! ~ I am yet to see him play a full 80 minutes of quality rugby as his deficiencies necessary as a First Five is sadly lacking and always have. He has no ability whatsoever of dictating play as a playmaker in a backline, as he's a self initiator, looks after Number one and in doing that he achieves not much at all! He looks good when he gets the ball, he dances around on the spot while he decides what side of the field he should run toward, not forward, as he may get hurt in a tackle, an art we all know he's averse to putting to use himself, therefore he gets hidden down the back on attack because he just won't tackle! Brad Thorn is well aware of his deficiencies and therefore he'll never make a team that he coaches, ~ same applies to the Wallaby team, they only have Foley and not much else but I bet Cheika doesn't pick Cooper! How did Cooper ever get to be on $600 big ones at all, whether or not he plays Club rugby or not,? ~ I wouldn't pay him $600 bucks!
Val
Guest
If the opposition are attacking and driving in the 10 channel counter attack really is then about moving the ball wide and yes the No 10 has to work hard to get up into support. While some counter attacks come from turnover ball (tackle or ruck) most counter attacks come from opposition kicks. The No 10 in most teams is one of the sweepers so is perfectly placed to take control of what happens next. Lining up in the 10 channel from set pieces should not impact greatly on the ability to counter attack.
Ruckin Oaf
Guest
Hey Rhys, There's only 1 reason to go to a game. Because you enjoy watching it.
Viking
Roar Rookie
I agree, RA really should intervene and put Quade in either the Rebels or the Brumbies. Surely some kind of deal where QLD pays half his provincial salary and the Rebels or Brumbies pay the other half could be structured. Win-win-win for all 3 sides - QLD save half the cost, Rebels/Brumbies get a proven 10 at half the cost and RA's dollars go to a Super Rugby player instead of paying QC to play club rugby. I wonder if the issue is (1) QLD unwilling to let a competitor within their conference improve or (2) whether Quade has no interest in living outside QLD or (3) whether no one from either RA and/or QLD has even tried to get Quade and the Rebels or Brumbies interested.
Rhys Bosley
Guest
There lies the problem, the QRU can’t keep the fans who want the team to win (the right reason to support them) happy as well as those who want a Globetrotters show (the wrong reason). May as well just look after the ones who are there for the right reason then, especially since Cooper would only good for another couple of seasons anyway.
Fionn
Guest
Rank the 13s: Smith, BOD, Mortlock and Fourie?
rebel
Roar Guru
You do realise that he made another player, who kneed Richie in the head, captain of the Reds.
rebel
Roar Guru
He already said he wont
Malo
Guest
I’d like q.c to play so the myth of q.c is put to bed finally. He would not change a thing.
Chris
Guest
Brad Thorn was the first one to retaliate against QC after he infamously kneed Ritchie McCaw in the face during a Bledisloe Cup (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9RYZStDdDI). Could that incident - and QC's perceived lack of respect for Ritchie - be at the root of Thorn's decision to exclude QC from the team entirely?