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'He's the ultimate professional' - New Rebels captain heaps praise on Quade Cooper

By Online Editors
Quade Cooper. Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Melbourne Rebels captain Dane Haylett-Petty says he’s been impressed by new recruit Quade Cooper since his arrival at the club.

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Unwanted by Queensland, Cooper joined the Rebels for 2019 after playing club rugby in 2018 because Reds coach Brad Thorn said he didn’t fit the team’s culture.

But Haylett-Petty, who has replaced Adam Coleman as Rebels captain, says Cooper is having a great impact on and off the field.

“I think the big thing for me is whether he’s on the field or off he’s such a good influence on the group, especially the younger guys,” Haylett-Petty told AAP.

“He’s the ultimate professional and sets a really good example for the boys and his rugby IQ is amazing – like no-one I’ve ever played with or met – so just that knowledge he can impart to the group is amazing.”

Cooper will re-ignite his halves partnership with Will Genia when the Rebels open their season against the Brumbies in Canberra next Friday.

Cooper and Genia played an integral role in the Reds’ run to the 2011 Super Rugby title when the pair played in Queensland.

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“I’m probably expecting a bit of Quade magic,” Haylett-Petty said.

“I’m really excited about seeing Will and Quade, their combination back together. We know how dangerous they were for the Reds.”

Haylett-Petty made 11 appearances for the Rebels last season after battling concussion but said he would be ready for round one.

“Obviously it was a disappointing Super Rugby season last year but I managed to get fit and play all of the Wallabies games so I had a good six or seven months and I’m really looking forward to this season,” he added.

He said there was high expectation on the team to make the finals for the first time in club history after coming painstakingly close in 2018.

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“We started quite well, surprisingly considering how little time we had to come together last year but we were very disappointed not to play in finals,” Haylett-Petty said.

“I think all the changes that we made off the field, this is the best placed the club’s ever been going into a season which is really exciting.”

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J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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