Re-appointed Queensland Super Rugby coach Ewen McKenzie believes Quade Cooper’s injury-delayed start to 2012 could help him through a difficult player recruitment period this season.
The Reds at the weekend extended McKenzie’s contract until the end of 2014, giving him time to continue to recruit and develop a squad of players who can keep Queensland at the top of Australian provincial rugby.
McKenzie said ideally, he’d like Cooper starting the Reds’ Super Rugby defence.
But he admitted the forced absence of his Wallaby star in the No.10 jumper presented an opportunity to evaluate several players before making some tough calls about his 2013 squad because of the salary cap pressures which come with success.
Cooper, who’ll miss the first six or seven games of the Reds’ Super Rugby defence after rupturing his ACL against Wales during last year’s World Cup, has had a hellish few months.
His public split with swimmer Stephanie Rice was followed by a return to the headlines earlier this month when he was banned from a popular southeast Queensland pub following an alleged altercation with a female patron.
“That’s life, isn’t it?,” McKenzie said.
“You have your ups and downs.
“He’s as good as he can be for a bloke on one leg.
“The best crutch for him at the moment is to be here hanging around his mates.
“He’s here every day re-habbing and he’s at every training session so that’s the best tonic for him at the moment.”
Cooper might not have delivered his magic for the Wallabies in the World Cup but there’s no denying his influence for the Reds under McKenzie.
McKenzie, who’s built up his talent pool in two years at the helm of the Reds, isn’t short on No.10 options, headed by impressive Kiwi import Mike Harris.
Harris looked sharp in the backs last year before injury struck him down.
Whoever McKenzie opts for will struggle to match Cooper’s passing game, although Harris brings a fine running game to the table, as well as his experience in the role.
Skipper James Horwill, meanwhile, hailed McKenzie’s contract extension as a coup for the club and the players.
“Probably when I started out, it was something we were lacking, that stability, not just at the coaching level but right across the board,” he said.
“I’m rapt he’s decided to stay here. It’s fantastic all those guys have committed to Queensland and want to leave a lasting legacy as do a lot of the players.
“We want to be as successful as we can and for Queensland rugby to be known worldwide as a provincial powerhouse.”
