Cooper desperate to keep playing
By Peter Badel From: The Sunday Telegraph December 19, 2009 11:59PM
QUADE Cooper has urged the Australian Rugby Union not to sack him as the shattered Wallabies star prepares for a seven-month battle to clear his name against a burglary charge.
Speaking for the first time since being arrested two weeks ago, Cooper opened up to The Sunday Telegraph about the toughest period of his rugby career.
The 21-year-old spoke of the humiliation of being locked up at a Gold Coast watchhouse; his desire to undergo counselling and his determination to limit alcohol consumption to prove his commitment to Queensland and Australian rugby.
On Friday, Cooper was cleared to return to Reds training by the ARU, which has also ordered the classy utility to undergo extensive counselling before he is considered for selection. It was speculated that Cooper might have his ARU contract torn up following two previous indiscretions - but he implored the governing body not to abandon him.
"I don't want to let anyone down ever again," he said. "I don't want to get sacked over this. With the support the ARU has shown, and once everything is sorted out in the courts, hopefully I've still got a job. I can't take back anything that's happened, so now it's up to me to work hard and control what I can control."
Cooper has spent the past week seeking solace from family and friends. He is a man in limbo, with the backline wizard off contract at the end of 2010 and bracing for his next court appearance on July 2. Cooper is determined to prove he is not a liability for the ARU. In the past six months he has twice been fined, first for his role in a food fight and later for breaking a taxi window.
But his arrest on December 6, for allegedly breaking into a Surfers Paradise property, has rocked Cooper. He says he will never forget the devastation of being detained at Southport watchhouse.
"Words can't describe what I've gone through the past week," he said. "It was very scary (in the watchhouse). It's something I never want to experience ever again. I was in there by myself. No words can explain what I felt in there. I definitely learnt my lesson then and there.
"I've gone through all sorts of emotions. I've been embarrassed, upset, angry ... a lot has gone through my mind. I can't really pinpoint one emotion. I'm going from one extreme to another. The public have been surprisingly good to me. No one has bagged me, no one is prejudging me, I've been going out for dinner. I'm not hiding from anyone."
Nor is Cooper attempting to sidestep reality. For legal reasons, he cannot discuss his actions in the lead-up to his arrest, but he is embracing the ARU's request for counselling. And while he is adamant he doesn't have a problem with alcohol, Cooper accepts he must learn how to manage it.
"I'll do whatever it takes to get back on the pitch and play footy. It's something we've addressed, when everything off the pitch is going well it can transfer to your football on the field," Cooper said.
"Alcohol seems to be a common denominator in a lot of incidents, not just involving myself. I need to control that side of things and if I do that, it will be a big factor in keeping me on the straight and narrow."
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1225812018703