Queensland Reds coach Ewen McKenzie doesn’t believe the incoming salary cap will force Wallabies playmaker Quade Cooper to leave the Super Rugby champions.
Cooper is reportedly close to deciding whether he’ll remain at Ballymore with speculation growing he will head overseas or interstate because the Reds can’t offer him more than $400,000 per season.
That was the amount halves partner Will Genia accepted last week to re-sign on a three-year deal, after knocking back a $550,000-$600,000 deal with the Western Force.
With the salary cap expected to sit at $4.1 million next year, after the Rugby Union Players Association lobbied for $4.8 million under a stalled new collective bargaining agreement, it would be hard for the Reds to assign a quarter of their contracting budget to two players.
But McKenzie on Friday denied it would be a case of either-or for Genia and Cooper, although he indicated a reduced salary cap would make it harder to keep both.
He also stressed Genia’s retention helped rather than hindered the mission to re-sign Cooper, who last year agreed to a lucrative one-year deal following interest from NRL club Parramatta.
“I don’t feel like we’re out of the running or anything like that,” McKenzie said.
“Keeping Will was massive in terms of that and in terms of confidence.
“Our discussions have been very positive so there’s no reason to think we can’t but in the end I don’t know what else (other offers) is out there.”
McKenzie was surprised by newspaper speculation stating Cooper would decide his future this weekend and questioned the credibility of unnamed sources.
Genia last week stuck with the Reds largely due to their team camaraderie and culture and McKenzie believes that can help with the retention of all his off-contract players.
Wallabies No.8 Scott Higginbotham is another weighing up other offers after initial plans to stay with the Reds were hamstrung by the cloud over the salary cap and negotiations at ARU level.
“All our players have been under attack from other provinces but a lot of guys have accepted the circumstances and are prepared to back the culture and environment over chasing a little bit more money,” McKenzie said.
“Sometimes that gets ignored and people look at zeroes on a page but in the end the workplace has to be one you look forward to going to otherwise it’s a tough life.
“That’s been a feature of the discussions I’ve had along the way and that’s been quite refreshing.”
With seven rounds remaining before the Super Rugby play-offs, Cooper remains touch and go whether he’ll return from knee surgery before the mid-year break with the Reds to play the Chiefs, Lions and Brumbies over the next three weekends.