Quade Cooper opens up to Phil Lutton about the plight of the Reds, Richard Graham, James O'Connor, his injuries, the Wallabies and the fight game.
The Reds had a difficult year, ending with a record defeat to the Waratahs. How do you assess the season and the way it all finished?
It was tough, especially when you’re hurt and you find it difficult to find a way to contribute. When you’re injured, there are limited ways to do that. There are so many boys in the injury ward and all of them have been working hard behind the scenes to add something to the team. But when the boys go down like that, it’s hard. They showed a lot of guts but just didn't have the back-up. It’s been a tough season and to finish like that, it was difficult. We’re all looking forward to moving on.
The Reds only won five games in 2014 after making the finals for the previous three seasons. What went wrong?
I think that’s what everybody has been trying to do, to work out and put their finger on the common denominator. The majority of the squad is the same as last year. We’ve got the same guys that made the finals, a lot of the guys that won it three years ago. We’re trying to work it out. Teams go through periods where you’re very successful but sometimes you have a season where things don’t go your way. The boys have been training very hard and turned up with the right mindset. But we’ve let ourselves done with small errors. If you think back to the middle of the season, there was a cluster of games we lost by small margins. If you win those games where there’s a point or two or three in it, suddenly the season is a whole lot different.
There has been constant rumours of divisions under Richard Graham. Do you feel the playing group is happy?
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I can't speak on behalf of the whole playing group. But it has been a tough year. For me, I just put it down to those small moments. We’re all learning and I’m sure Richard would have learnt a lot out of this year, being head coach at the Reds. We all just have to stay positive and stay together and we have to improve. [Queensland Rugby Union chief executive] Jim Carmichael said this week that we can’t afford to have another year like this. We’ve got such a strong support network and we have to give them a year they deserve. They stuck by us in the tough times and we can’t afford to slip again. Everyone from the bottom to the top will be working as hard as possible to ensure we have a good season next year.
It seems nobody can escape the talk of James O'Connor and Karmichael Hunt. You know both of them - would they be a good fit at Ballymore?
Anyone of James' or Karmichael's stature, both of those guys would fit in and do good things for the Reds. But from my point of view, I’m hopeful we can secure some big forwards up front. Our forward pack works very hard, it would be great to add some new additions. You see the momentum that the Waratahs have had throughout the season.
There are a lot of players leaving. Have the players been kept informed of the strategy from head office?
We do our jobs and let them focus on their jobs. We have complete trust in head office and the footy club. We turn up and train as hard as we can and let Jim [Carmichael] and head office put together a good roster. We’re all looking forward to announcing some new signings. Hopefully we can secure some of those boys.
What's your contract status?
I’ve still got a Reds contract for next year, but I’m off-contract at the moment with the ARU. I haven’t heard anything as yet. I always let [my manager] Khoder Nasser look after those things. I’m just focusing on getting my body right and making sure I get back out on the field. Whenever that times comes, I’m sure we’ll work something out.
How close are you to getting back on the field? Are you hopeful of being part of the Wallaby squad over the next few months?
I can’t put a date on when I’ll be back but everything is going smoothly. I had my first run last week. I’m really glad I was able to get my hip done [as well as shoulder], the feeling and movement I have in it has been great. I can sit up and have no pain. When you’re playing, sometimes you don’t realise what state your body’s in. I’m looking forward to getting back as quick as possible and hopefully be involved in the Wallaby games that are coming up.
I’ve spoken to Ewen [McKenzie, coach] on the phone. I spoke to him last week and the doctor sends him through the progress reports every week. He’s up to date and we’re speaking about possibilities ... how I’m feeling mentally and physically. I’m just looking forward to being back with one of the teams."
If you can get healthy, is another fight on the cards later in the year?
Of course. All the surgeries have made that much more of an option, knowing that my body is in good shape and being able to use that [boxing] to stay fresh and get in shape as quick as possible. As soon as I’m able to hit the bag and hit the pads, I’lll be getting back in the gym to try and get into tip-top condition so I can play some footy, and with the prospect of another fight at the end of the year.
