Quade to fly the coop?

Will he or wont he? The rumours are coming thick and fast that Wallaby number 10, Quade Cooper, is actively entertaining the idea of switching to rugby league with the Parramatta Eels allegedly leading the charge.

If Cooper does switch it would be a devastating blow to Robbie Deans' plans this close to next years Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. In Cooper's recent absence due to his suspension for a spear tackle the Wallabies looked rudderless - Matt Giteau regularly overplayed his hand whilst Berrick Barnes had the confidence of a Lemming.  It is therefore clear that Cooper is an essential ingredient to the Wallabies success now and in the future. He is the milk to the cheese, the fuel to the car, and the spark to the fire.

In response to the rumours, ARU CEO John O'Neil has come out saying that the ARU would like to keep Cooper but wont pay ridiculous money to do so. On the basis that the Wallabies would undoubtedly suffer without him,  O'Neil may have to re-think his stance. This is important not only because of the Wallabies immediate success but also because Rugby Union in Australia is regularly loosing younger participants to other sports such as football/soccer and AFL. As such the future of the sport itself depends on having entertaining and successful players of which Cooper is clearly both. Look at how he turned around the fortunes of the Queensland Reds last year.

For the conspiracy theorists out there, are the rumours coming from Cooper's management in an attempt to drive up his contract price? It is a method rugby league players have used ever since Rugby Union became professional so it is not in the realms of unbelievability.

Alternatively, is Cooper bored with Rugby Union and trying to be re-inspired by a new challenge ala Israel Folau? This is not an outrageous suggestion. Rugby Union still allows a player to travel the world unlike many other codes, but because of the professional pressures just how much enjoyment these players have when travelling is debatable. Furthermore, sportsmen of any code are so well paid these days that if they want to travel and see the world they can do it during their off season, at their own pace and on their own itinerary. Also, for all of Robbie Deans' Super 14 success, he has struggled to transfer that form to the Wallabies set up and as such Cooper may be disenchanted with the Wallabies inconsistency.

Perhaps O'Neil is relying on the support the ARU gave Cooper during his recent troubles with the law to persuade Cooper to stay with the Wallabies. Whilst that may have been comforting to Cooper at that time, if he is not being paid for his ability and crowd pulling power, it may be an underlying cause of disenchantment leading to these rumours.

What is clear is that the ARU need to deal with this issue quickly otherwise the rumours will get louder and Cooper could be joining the NRL quicker than you can read 'Wallabies world cup preparations in tatters.'

Cousins last trip

Ben Cousins today announced his retirement from AFL effective from the end of this season.

Cousins career reads like a script from the Bold and the Beautiful meets Traffic. It has been as dramatic as it has been entertaining. No one has ever doubted Cousins' ability on the field but his off field behaviour in the past 3 years has overshadowed his on field brilliance. Let us not forget that Cousins is a premiership winning player and a brownlow medallist, but you would be forgiven for not recalling these feats in light of his drug riddled recent years.

To Cousins' credit he served his AFL suspension and was offered a lifeline by the Richmond Tigers. Whilst his comeback was hampered by an initial hamstring issue once that was resolved Cousins has been one of the Tigers' most consistent performers in the past two years. There is also no doubt that his leadership and experience have attributed to the Tigers' rise against all tipsters predictions. Hopefully Cousins can stay involved in football in some capacity as his flamboyance is intoxicating.

Ben Cousins' key statistics:
Age: 32 (30/6/78)
Teams: West Coast Eagles, Richmond Tigers
Playing Numbers: 9 for West Coast Eagles, 32 for Richmond Tigers
Games: 268 (238 for West Coast Eagles, 30 for Richmond Tigers)
Norwich Rising Star 1996
Brownlow Medallist 2005
Premiership player 2006

2010 English Premier League Explosion

Well the circus has begun again and it will be on a screen near you for the next 9 months. If the first weekend is anything to go by there'll be wonder goals, fumbling fingers, crunching tackles, diving divas and tricky South Americans galore.  In a regular series of wrap ups, I'll take you through the highlights of the weekend EPL matches.

Tottenham 0 v Man City 0
The millions of monopoly money that Man City threw at players over the summer has had no effect on their mediocrity as they struggled to 'achieve' a draw against Tottenham. Tottenham on the other hand were entertaining and should have been ahead on a number of occasions but for the inclusion of Joe Hart ahead of Shay Given in the sky blues goal. Hart was in inspired form as he made three finger tip saves that Buffon, Casillas and Schmeichel would have been proud of.

Blackpool 4 v Wigan 0
Blackpool marked their return to the top flight (for the first time in 39 years) with a shellacking of a woeful Wigan. Until Chelsea flogged West Brom, Blackpool were top of the league and the Tangerine supporters were all too happy to shout about it. Reality will undoubtedly hit next weekend when they face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Till then, the Tangerines will revel in their early season form.

Chelsea 6 v West Brom 0
Chelsea restored their pride after loosing the community shield last weekend with a flogging of old-blue boy Roberto Di Matteo's West Brom. At best West Brom looked like the Eric the Eel of football without the sentimental support. At worst, West Brom were no better than 11 ancient chinese terracotta soldiers. Drogba hit 3, Malouda 2 and Lampard 1 past the hapless Carson. West Brom on the other hand could not hit a barn door.


Aston Villa 3 v West Ham 0
It was surprising that Aston Villa not only won their opening day fixture, but more so that they won in such emphatic fashion. Surprising because of the weeks they had had prior to kick off, that is, after Martin O'Neil walked out five days earlier and with the James Milner to Man City transfer still on the boil. Who knows what will happen when Milner finally moves to the sky blues. As an aside, former US coach Bob Bradley and Argentinean legend Maradona have been names mentioned as taking over from O'Neil.


Wolves 2 v Stoke 1
Two of the least popular teams in the league fought out an entertaining opening day match which resulted in Wolves registering their first opening day victory since 1999. Stoke's record summer signing, Kenwyne Jones ($17 Million), was lively in the initial stages until a serious injury forced him off and placed his immediate playing future is in doubt.


Sunderland 2 v Birmingham 2
Birmingham staged a remarkable comeback from two goals down to gain a valuable point from the match. They were assisted by Sunderland's Lee Cattermole being sent off but that said they left their run late scoring the two goals in the last 13 minutes.    


Bolton 0 v Fulham 0
Nil - Nil. Enough said really. The only interesting fact from this game was Mark Schwarzer's absence from the team sheet, adding further weight to the rumours that he wants to move to Arsenal for Champions league football.


Blackburn 1 v Everton 0
A howler from keeper Tim Howard gifted victory to Blackburn. Howard appeared to catch the ball with ease and then all of a sudden it was like a bar of soap in jail. Everton failed to create any real chances and the game was settled because of Howard's butter fingers.


Liverpool 1 v Arsenal 1
The butter fingers were clearly infectious for Merseyside keepers. Liverpool, in spite of Joe Cole's harsh red card, appeared to be headed for victory on the back of David Ngog's opener (his fourth in 3 games) until Reina fumbled Marouane Chamakh's header into his own net in the 90th minute. 


Man U 3 v Newcastle 0
Man U crashed Newcastle's welcome back to the premier league party by slotting 3 big ones past the swiss cheese Newcastle defence. Grumpy Bulgarian Berbatov opening the scoring. Shortly afterwards, Fletcher took advantage of the led footed and seemingly lost Rooney to scuff the ball into the back of the net. Even Man U evergreen/geriatric Ryan Giggs got on the score sheet with a delightful volley that flew past Harper's outstretched hand.