HOW close did Wallabies five-eighth Quade Cooper come to joining rugby league and coming second last with Parramatta and not even being there at Eden Park for tomorrow's World Cup semi-final against the All Blacks?
About a cab ride from Parramatta to Sydney Airport, just before he flew out with the Wallabies to play in South Africa last year.
Eels chief executive Paul Osborne revealed as much to this column yesterday - and then added the club collectively breathed a sigh of relief after watching Cooper's defensive effort against the Springboks.
"We came as close as his manager at the time Richard Colreavy telling me to go to the airport to get him to sign the contract," Osborne said last night. "There wasn't enough time, and then he went away to South Africa and that was the end of it. He came back and signed with the ARU.
"Our coach at the time, Daniel Anderson, said then that he couldn't tackle and was of the view it would take too long for him to adjust to league.
"I'm glad we didn't sign him after watching him last weekend."
The Eels were rumoured to have offered Cooper as much $850,000 per season, although the real figure is closer to about $650,000.
Would his asking price be so much now after his turnstile-like defence against the Boks?
For months now, Cooper and All Blacks winger Sonny Bill Williams have been linked to the Roosters - something the Bondi-based club hotly disputes.
While Anderson was skeptical last year about Cooper's transition from the game they play in heaven to the greatest game of all, yesterday he said he had the potential to become "another Benji Marshall".
"I would assume his contract value would likely equal a 'franchise' player but he would need a couple of seasons to get used to the amount of defence," he said. "He could develop into another Benji but would need time."
