Matt Cooper (rugby league)

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Matt Cooper (born 18 April 1979 in Port Kembla, Australia) is a professional rugby league player for the St George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League competition. His position of choice is usually at centre, though he can also play on the wing. Cooper has also appeared for New South Wales Origin and the Australian Kangaroos.

[edit] Childhood and early career

Cooper originally gained an interest in rugby league while watching and supporting the Western Suburbs Magpies, the club his father supported. He began his rugby league career at the age of six playing for his local junior rugby league side, the Shellharbour Sharks, while also enjoying athletics and being actively involved with his local surf club.^[1]

After moving to Illawarra, Cooper began supporting the Illawarra Steelers. Cooper was originally signed on to the Illawarra Steelers club as a teenager prior to their merger with the St. George Dragons, he made his debut for the merged club in 2000 at the age of twenty-one.

[edit] St George Illawarra Dragons

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After the merger of the St George Dragons and the Illawarra Steelers clubs in 2000, Cooper was signed onto the new club, quickly impressing club officials and was awarded his first grade debut in the first round of the season against local rivals the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, he had an uneventful debut game without managing to score.

After making his debut Cooper was replaced in the Dragons line-up for the second game of the season and was not re-called until round seven in which he crossed the line for his first try against the New Zealand Warriors, Cooper in total scored two tries in limited appearances in the 2000 season. The 2001 season was not a successful one for Cooper, with minor injuries causing him to miss many games. He returned just before the finals, scoring two tries in the semi-final victory over the Bulldogs.

In 2002, Cooper was able to retain his position in the team for the majority of the season and finished the year with a total of seven tries from nineteen games.

A new season in 2003 saw a new more try hungry Matt Cooper emerge on the NRL playing fields, he began the season promisingly holding down his spot for the duration of the season with brilliant displays of defence complimenting his attack.^{[neutrality disputed]} In total Cooper scored eleven tries including three doubles during the regular season, he then tasted his first representative honour being selected to play for Country in the annual City and Country Origin. Although the season eventually finished on a low note both for the Dragons and Cooper with another injury yet again forcing him out of the side. Though all was not lost for Matt as he was nominated for the Dragons player of the year, eventually losing out to Ben Hornby while he picked up the Geoff Selby Memorial NRL Coaches Award.

The 2004 season yet again was one of improvement and new opportunity, Cooper began the season well scoring a total of eight tries in six matches for the Dragons including four tries in a single match against the reigning premiers the Penrith Panthers. At the conclusion of the season he had scored a total of seventeen tries and subsequently impressing the international selectors so much that he gained a spot in the Australian side for the 2004 tour of Great Britain, France and the United States, though he did not play a competitive match on the tour.

His form continued well into the season and he was yet again selected in the New South Wales State of Origin side playing in all three matches of the series and scoring his first try for his state. He finished the season well with thirteen tries from twenty games and yet again was selected to go on the Australian tour of Great Britain.

Injury yet again hit Cooper early on in the 2006 season in the form of a damaged hamstring while playing in the season opening fixture against the Wests Tigers. Cooper was forced to miss several fixtures for the Dragons and the opening game of the State of Origin series.

Cooper scored the only try in the Dragons' 8–1 win over the Parramatta Eels on a rainy Friday night, the first night game hosted at Oki Jubilee Stadium since 1999. The games was scoreless for seventy minutes.

[edit] Representative career

[edit] New South Wales

During the 2004 season after several solid performances for his club side, Matt was called up for the third and deciding State of Origin match of the series for New South Wales replacing Luke Lewis to partner his clubmate Mark Gasnier in the centres after the side had lost the second match.

After having an impressive debut match in the 2004 series, Cooper was subsequently re-selected for New South Wales in the 2005 State of Origin, playing in all three matches of the series helping New South Wales to another series win scoring one try along the way in game two.

Cooper was selected in the starting line-up for the 2006 State of Origin series but after failing to recover from a hamstring injury sustained during the round one NRL fixture he was forced to withdraw from the squad being replaced by winger Eric Grothe, Jr. from the Parramatta Eels^[2].

After missing the first game of Origin for New South Wales, Cooper failed to be called up for game two with Grothe retaining his position after a solid performance in game one. On June 11 it was announced that Cooper had been called up as 18th man on stand by for the game.^[3]

[edit] Australia

After some impressive performances in the 2004 season for the St George side, coach Nathan Brown recommended that he should be selected for the Australian rugby league side to coach Wayne Bennett^[4], though he eventually opted for the usual more experienced international representatives.

With the conclusion of the 2004 season and some impressive performances with both the Dragons and the New South Wales State of Origin side Cooper was selected in the Australian squad for the Tri-Nations tour of Great Britain, France and the United States but did not make an appearance for the duration of the tour.

At the conclusion of the 2005 season, Cooper was again selected to go on to tour of Great Britain with the Australian national side. He appeared in the first three test matches on the tour scoring five tries.

Cooper was once again selected to play for Australia in the mid-season test match on May 5, 2006, he scored once during a dominating 50 to 12 win over New Zealand. This was the last time Cooper has represented Australia. ^[2]

[edit] Career outside rugby league

Outside of the game of rugby league, Cooper has taken up a career in modelling^{[citation needed]}, becoming one of the several pin-up boys of the NRL and rugby league in general, often posing for women's and sporting magazines as well as the annual League of Their Own rugby league calendar. Cooper has also been a regular finalist in the Sexiest Man in League contest, which he won in 2001 and again in 2006, where he garnered 21% of the public vote to narrowly defeat Benji Marshall who was second with 17%. Cooper is also a great fan of the television show Miami Ink.

[edit] Footnotes

1. "Dragons players since 1921, Player profiles", Showroom, retrieved June 13, 2006
2. "World of Rugby League Matt Cooper News & Statistics", World of Rugby League, retrieved June 13, 2006
3. "Blues call up Cooper", Foxsports, retrieved June 13, 2006
4. "Cooper's crossings drive Dragons" by Brad Walter April 19, 2004, Sydney Morning Herald, retrieved June 13, 2006

[edit] External links

• Matt Cooper at the Dragons
• Official NRL Player profile
• Matt Cooper at the State of Origin official website.
• Matt Cooper interview