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Quade Cooper joins Melbourne Rebels on one-year deal

23rd October, 2018
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23rd October, 2018
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Forgotten Wallabies flyhalf Quade Cooper has today announced a move away from Queensland, signing a one-year deal with the Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby.

The 119-match veteran said he was “keen to work hard” at his new club, having played for the Reds since 2006 and scoring 846 points in his time up north.

But he found himself on the outer with Reds coach Brad Thorn for most of 2018, fueling speculation the livewire playmaker would seek a new home for the 2019 season.

His 70-Test career also came to a halt, with Cooper not lining up for Australia since 2016 despite reasonable support from Australian fans to replace the embattled Bernard Foley in the same position.

He spent most of 2018 with Brisbane City in the National Rugby Championship, while the fourth fight of his on-and-off professional boxing career is set for the end of November.

“I was really impressed seeing the improvement that Melbourne have made this year. Their professionalism since the first discussion we had about me being a Rebel has been first-class,” Cooper said.

“I know that Rugby in Melbourne has a strong history and cultural connection. If I can help out the grassroots and be involved in inspiring the next generation, then that is just a bonus for me,” he added.

Rebels coach Dave Wessels said he’d been in contact with Cooper for several months, saying he was “impressed” with the 30-year-old’s passion and love for the game of rugby.

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“He knows that he has some hard work ahead of him, but he has the potential to be a really important spark for us over the next few months. We’re excited to have him.”

“We’ve worked really hard on our succession planning as a coaching group and I’m proud of the program we’re building.

“We’re very clear on what we needed to add to the squad and we look forward to the new players making an impact on the field,” Wessels added.

The move will see Cooper reunite with 2011 Super Rugby championship teammate Will Genia, while the Melbourne backline will be further bolstered by the return of Matt Toomua.

The Rebels enjoyed one of their stronger seasons in 2018, rebounding from a horror one-win campaign to finish with an equal-franchise record seven wins – only narrowly missing out on finals after a close loss to the Highlanders in the last week.

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