There’s been a lot of talk about whether tomorrow’s Reds v Waratahs game will be the last time we see Quade Cooper in a Queensland shirt, or indeed in a Super Rugby match. A lot of this is the usual irresponsible speculation, citing precisely no sources and no facts.
Now, I am a New South Welshman and a rabid Tah fan. I was at the SFS when Lachie Turner skinned Rico Gear and Leon McDonald. I saw Shaun Berne, who couldn’t hit a barn door, slot a 45 metre kick over after the siren to beat the then dominant Crusaders. I can even remember going to see games at Concord Oval. And I recall driving with my Dad 2.5 hours, each way, back in 1997 to a bowling club in Tamworth with Foxtel, to watch the then unbeatable Blues – Carlos, Caucau, and the gang – beat us handsomely.
But even I don’t want to see Quade Cooper go. And the more people I talk to around the traps, they don’t either. So whether your poison is Boyz to Men, or KC and the Sunshine Band, or even No Mercy, the message is the same: Please Don’t Go.
Of course, it’s not just you. Us fans are the reason why guys have the resources, money, and industry available to become professionals in the first place. And we want to make our position clear: We are sick of seeing our Wallabies head off overseas, and then see us trot out a piss weak bench and lose to the All Blacks by a solitary point. We need all hands on deck to win back that Bledisloe, and Rugby Championships, and World Cups – and that means you.
When players choose European money, it is the Australian rugby fan who loses out. It’s that simple.
Quade, it’s not only that we’ve stuck by you through thick and thin. In the good times, like the 2013 European tour or the 2011 Super Rugby season, to the bad, like the 2011 Rugby World Cup quarter and semi-finals.
It’s not only that if you go to Europe, we won’t be there to cheer for you. Players might keep an eye on the Heineken Cup. But Australian rugby fans stay fans because of their grassroots connection, the way that the players on the field connect with the local clubs – where they themselves tackled, coached, reffed, or simply cut oranges. Australian fans couldn’t care less about European rugby.
It’s not only because we think that many of your best years are ahead of you, not behind you. We’ve invested a lot of emotional energy and we want to see the full pay off. You’re a member of a rugby community here, a mercenary in Europe.
It’s because of what you represent, a whole philosophy of playing rugby that inspires kids to pick up a ball and run with it. Even in New South Wales. The crisp passing, the creativity, the passion; even when it doesn’t work, we admire the daring it takes to have a go. If you hang around, you’ll be able to help define the next few years of Australian rugby and leave a legacy that will be with you long after you retire. Or you can head to France.
So I want to say it clearly, from G&GR: Australian rugby, including Tahs fans, wants you to stay.
Leave your comments below, with your favourite Quade stories and moments. And tweet @quadecooper with #pleasedontgo. Make sure he knows how we feel.
