Quade Cooper in secret talks with Parramatta Eels
QUADE Cooper has held secret negotiations with the Parramatta Eels as the Wallabies star weighs up a shock defection to the NRL.
In a bombshell that will rock the Australian Rugby Union, Cooper is contemplating walking out on the code at season's end after his management flew to Sydney last week for talks with Eels boss Paul Osborne.
Osborne refused to comment last night but The Daily Telegraph can reveal that Queensland playmaker Cooper and his manager Richard Colreavy have spoken with the Eels CEO.
At the core of Cooper's concerns is a two-year top-up offer from the ARU.
The offer is so unpalatable that the 22-year-old is prepared to turn his back on the Wallabies' 2011 World Cup campaign.
Cooper verbally agreed to a two-year deal with the Reds in June, but the ARU component of his contract has yet to be sealed - which means he is technically a free agent.
The loss of Cooper would be a devastating blow for the Wallabies and coach Robbie Deans, who is building Australia's Cup campaign around Cooper's attacking wizardry.
Cooper was tight-lipped when contacted last night but revealed he has thought about playing in the NRL.
"I can't say too much," said Cooper, who goes into Wallabies camp next Tuesday after serving a two-match suspension. "I enjoy watching the NRL and wouldn't rule it out.
"Right now, I'm playing rugby, that's my focus. I don't know what's going on there [negotiations with the Eels]. It's been a tough two weeks for me being suspended, so I just want to get back on the field."
Asked if he harboured a desire to be a dual international, Cooper said: "It's too much to be thinking about being a dual international but any footballer who has the opportunity to do it would think about it.
"I'm concentrating on playing for the Wallabies and I'm looking forward to the next few weeks in South Africa."
Cooper's manager declined to comment last night. But it is understood Colreavy will continue talks with the Eels over the next week.
Parramatta sensation Hayne is seen as a crucial bargaining chip because he and Cooper have struck up a friendship via Twitter.
The Eels could do with some attacking spark at the scrumbase after coach Daniel Anderson yesterday dropped young playmaker Daniel Mortimer, who has struggled to replicate the form he showed in his rookie season last year.
The Eels have been searching in vain for a senior mentor for Mortimer, launching unsuccessful attempts to lure Trent Barrett, Brett Kimmorley, Cooper Cronk, Matt Orford and even Brent Sherwin.
Former Wallabies coach John Connolly said that Cooper, who has had burglary charges withdrawn following mediation in July, would be a revelation in the NRL.
"He is a rugby league player through and through," Connolly said. "He'd be very successful in the NRL.
"The challenge for him would be to tighten up his defence. But he is a very talented young man who can be a success in both codes.
"He would be a great five-eighth in rugby league. He's a good distributor and he's got the attacking game to test defences."
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...-parramatta-eels/story-e6frexnr-1225904646096
