Like the punchline in one of your dad’s old jokes, everyone saw it coming. Quade missed out on the Wallabies squad today and predictably there is outrage in certain (mainly Northern) quarters.
I have a confession to make: I am from New South Wales. I hide it very well, but it’s true. In the eyes of many this makes my opinion on Quade lose credibility straight away. I know some of you have already filled the article in for yourself- I think Quade’s a muppet who is all flair and no backbone, and I want Berrick Barnes to be the Wallaby 10. But I am not going to go down that road.
Paul Cully wrote a very good article on Quade this afternoon, and in a way this is simply a half-baked, unpaid parody. Allow me to steal a few of his thoughts, mix them with a few of my own and serve you up the stew that results.
Quade’s failings as a player are fairly well known. Like all players he has a few. But unlike most others his flaws are ones that can be brutally exposed at the top level, and indeed have been in the past. Allow me to explain myself:
His defence is still patchy at best. “But wait!” the cries will come, “What about his hit on Rene Ranger, surely that shows he can tackle?” Well yes it does. He isn’t the turnstile he once was, certainly. But he is still only tackling at 70% in the 2013 Super comp. Compare that to his rivals who made the Wallaby squad- JOC is at 84%, Lilo 83% and Barnes 80% (for the 2012 season). The margins here are small, sure. But that 10% difference can have a huge impact at the top level. In itself his tackling does not rule him out of contention. But it certainly is a black mark.
His reluctance to take the ball into contact is another major flaw. I’m not saying he doesn’t take on the line, or is afraid of being tackled. His issues arise when the play breaks down, and Quade has the ball behind the advantage line with no viable options. Instead of putting his head down and driving with his legs to recycle possession, he stands tall and attempts to offload (not all the time, but it certainly seems to be his first instinct).
There is a reason he leads the season offload count by 10- these aren’t SBW type offloads, most come when he is caught in possession and attempts to keep the play alive at all costs. This isn’t a cardinal sin, and can work quite well at times. But at other times it just serves to transfer pressure onto another bloke, and at test level that pressure increases threefold. One stray offload could be the winning and losing of a match.
There are also well-known issues with his option taking and ability to handle the pressure at the highest level. But it’s Sunday and it’s getting late so we best press on.
The attacking form of the Reds also does not help Cooper’s case. People formed an opinion of this Reds side a few years ago- they are the ‘entertainers’ of Super Rugby, with Quade at the centre of the mastery. In 2011 that may have been true. In 2013 it is not. The Reds aren’t scoring many tries. They aren’t running over the top of sides. Their record is good, sure, and they may still win the comp.
I will be cheering them on to do so. But as I discussed on Tuesday the opinion that Quade is the only player who can produce attacking rugby isn’t just flawed, it’s straight out wrong. One look at the Reds performance last night should show you all you need to know.
So now we reach the inevitable impasse. You are thinking now is the time I start talking up Barnes, O’Connor or Lealiifano? No.
Because I think we should pick Quade.
With all of his flaws and imperfections in my opinion he is still our most viable option at 10. But this says a lot more about the options than it does about Quade. I don’t think JOC is best suited at 10. I don’t think Berrick Barnes is best suited at 10. I don’t think Christian Lealiifano is best suited at 10. And I think Matt Toomua and Bernard Foley are too green. I don’t think Kurtley is up to it, either. So with a lack of a test standard alternative, it makes it a lot easier to overlook Quade’s flaws.
And then you think of the good things: his outstanding passing game, his combination with Will Genia, his ability to put people in space, or produce that one play that can turn a game on its head.
Quade Cooper is not the Messiah. Robbie Deans is not misguided. We could still lose the Lions series with the Queenslander at 10, and still win it without him. I want Quade to play 10 for the Wallabies, but understand Robbie’s reasoning for leaving him out. This is the middle ground in this debate that is sadly drowned out by the howling on both sides.
Ultimately time will tell who is on the money. I honestly hope it’s Robbie.
