Parramatta co-captain Nathan Hindmarsh does not want Wallabies playmaker Quade Cooper at the Eels.
Despite claiming he still has unfinished business in rugby union - most notably next year's World Cup in New Zealand - Cooper continues to be linked to a big-money cross-code switch to the Eels in 2011.
Hindmarsh says he is unaware of any negotiations between Cooper and Parramatta but, regardless, the veteran back rower made it clear he could do without the classy fly half at the Eels.
"I'd like to stick with someone in the league ranks, to be honest," Hindmarsh told Triple M radio.
"That's just my opinion. Whether or not it's true or not that they (Eels management) are chasing him.
"There's been a bit of talk in the paper that we are, but (I'm) not too sure, to be honest with you."
Like Australian Rugby Union boss John O'Neill, Hindmarsh suspected newspaper reports that Cooper was considering a move to the NRL was merely a negotiation stunt designed to bump up his price tag.
"I suppose it's a bit of a bargaining chip for Quade himself, isn't it?" said Hindmarsh, who will almost certainly assume sole captaincy of Parramatta next season after Nathan Cayless retires from the NRL.
"If league's following him, then rugby are probably going to spend a little bit more to keep him."
O'Neill agreed that Cooper deserved an upgraded contract and was confident of nutting out a deal in the coming fortnight that would keep the 22-year-old in the rugby ranks.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/08/15/2983272.htm?site=sport§ion=rugbyleague
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I'm not convinced these tactics have much bearing on where a signature lands, but some time ago one half-smart manager (which is about as smart as some of them ever get) figured it was worth a try.
A good number have now followed suit because it is easy to do and they generally won't get an argument from their young clients who naively believe these screaming back page headlines are in their best interests.
I'm reluctant to be part of the free publicity service, but I am tired of young players using their youth or naivety as an excuse for letting some managers not only take their percentage but also turn them into puppets.
Commercial nous isn't a prerequisite for a good player, so the requirement for someone to look after the numbers on the financial front is understandable, and in many cases, a complete necessity.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
Related Coverage
* Code change: Parramatta take Cooper to dinner
* NRL threat: Cooper going nowhere, says ARU
End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
However, something that is a pre-requisite for being a good rugby player is the understanding of a team ethos, and that there are times when the needs of the individual have to take a back seat to those of the team.
The old "I have to do what's best for me and my family" line is trotted out whenever players are talking about contracts and switches of clubs or codes, and while we have heard it so often it grates a bit, you can't argue with it's validity.
What you can argue with is the timing of some of the orchestrated stunts and the lack of courage players show in standing up to their management. I do not know who was behind the Eels-Cooper story on Friday but I do know that whatever Cooper does next year, he is right this minute in the middle of a very important Tri-Nations tournament and that should be the only thing he needs be talking publicly about.
He has been supported in all manner of means by any number of people in rugby over the past 12 months, and I don't think any of them would begrudge him a future in NRL, AFL or in tiddlywinks if he decided that's what he wanted to do.
What I do think they would be disappointed in, is that while he is still contracted to rugby, and is involved in a Wallaby side that needs all hands on deck and to be thinking of little else than lifting their performances over the next six weeks, he has been hoodwinked into allowing himself to be the centre of attention. It's a behavioural pattern that can help unravel teams.
I doubt Cooper thought much about any of that when asked about his discussions with Parramatta, but he should have. And once he'd thought about it, he should have said "no comment" to any questions that weren't about beating the Springboks on South Africa on Saturday week.
Whether or not Cooper would be a hit in rugby league is neither here nor there.
Former Wallabies coach John Connolly trumpeted what a good player he'd be in the 13-man game, although I think he most likely would have been less complimentary about Cooper's chances of making a successful switch were he still coaching the Wallabies or Reds.
What will irk many is that Cooper supposedly agreed verbally to a two-year deal with the Reds a couple of months ago. Surely this supposed sticking point of the ARU top-up component had been sorted out satisfactorily then.
Cooper has been a revelation on the field this season and it would be a shame to see him go, but if running around with Jarryd Hayne for Parramatta excites him more than playing for Australia in a World Cup with his old mates David Pocock and James O'Connor, that is his call.
However, it's one he needs to make when it isn't interfering with his current responsibilities.
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o Add to KwoffQUADE Cooper's potential switch to the Parramatta Eels next season reeks heavily of another management-inspired push to keep a client's name in the public arena during contract negotiations.
I'm not convinced these tactics have much bearing on where a signature lands, but some time ago one half-smart manager (which is about as smart as some of them ever get) figured it was worth a try.
A good number have now followed suit because it is easy to do and they generally won't get an argument from their young clients who naively believe these screaming back page headlines are in their best interests.
I'm reluctant to be part of the free publicity service, but I am tired of young players using their youth or naivety as an excuse for letting some managers not only take their percentage but also turn them into puppets.
Commercial nous isn't a prerequisite for a good player, so the requirement for someone to look after the numbers on the financial front is understandable, and in many cases, a complete necessity.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
Related Coverage
* Code change: Parramatta take Cooper to dinner
* NRL threat: Cooper going nowhere, says ARU
End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
However, something that is a pre-requisite for being a good rugby player is the understanding of a team ethos, and that there are times when the needs of the individual have to take a back seat to those of the team.
The old "I have to do what's best for me and my family" line is trotted out whenever players are talking about contracts and switches of clubs or codes, and while we have heard it so often it grates a bit, you can't argue with it's validity.
What you can argue with is the timing of some of the orchestrated stunts and the lack of courage players show in standing up to their management. I do not know who was behind the Eels-Cooper story on Friday but I do know that whatever Cooper does next year, he is right this minute in the middle of a very important Tri-Nations tournament and that should be the only thing he needs be talking publicly about.
He has been supported in all manner of means by any number of people in rugby over the past 12 months, and I don't think any of them would begrudge him a future in NRL, AFL or in tiddlywinks if he decided that's what he wanted to do.
What I do think they would be disappointed in, is that while he is still contracted to rugby, and is involved in a Wallaby side that needs all hands on deck and to be thinking of little else than lifting their performances over the next six weeks, he has been hoodwinked into allowing himself to be the centre of attention. It's a behavioural pattern that can help unravel teams.
I doubt Cooper thought much about any of that when asked about his discussions with Parramatta, but he should have. And once he'd thought about it, he should have said "no comment" to any questions that weren't about beating the Springboks on South Africa on Saturday week.
Whether or not Cooper would be a hit in rugby league is neither here nor there.
Former Wallabies coach John Connolly trumpeted what a good player he'd be in the 13-man game, although I think he most likely would have been less complimentary about Cooper's chances of making a successful switch were he still coaching the Wallabies or Reds.
What will irk many is that Cooper supposedly agreed verbally to a two-year deal with the Reds a couple of months ago. Surely this supposed sticking point of the ARU top-up component had been sorted out satisfactorily then.
Cooper has been a revelation on the field this season and it would be a shame to see him go, but if running around with Jarryd Hayne for Parramatta excites him more than playing for Australia in a World Cup with his old mates David Pocock and James O'Connor, that is his call.
However, it's one he needs to make when it isn't interfering with his current responsibilities.
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