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'He's the ultimate professional' - New Rebels captain heaps praise on Quade Cooper
By Online Editors
Melbourne Rebels captain Dane Haylett-Petty says he's been impressed by new recruit Quade Cooper since his arrival at the club.
Unwanted by Queensland, Cooper joined the Rebels for 2019 after playing club rugby in 2018 because Reds coach Brad Thorn said he didn't fit the team's culture.
But Haylett-Petty, who has replaced Adam Coleman as Rebels captain, says Cooper is having a great impact on and off the field.
"I think the big thing for me is whether he's on the field or off he's such a good influence on the group, especially the younger guys," Haylett-Petty told AAP.
"He's the ultimate professional and sets a really good example for the boys and his rugby IQ is amazing - like no-one I've ever played with or met - so just that knowledge he can impart to the group is amazing."
Cooper will re-ignite his halves partnership with Will Genia when the Rebels open their season against the Brumbies in Canberra next Friday.
Cooper and Genia played an integral role in the Reds’ run to the 2011 Super Rugby title when the pair played in Queensland.
"I'm probably expecting a bit of Quade magic," Haylett-Petty said.
"I'm really excited about seeing Will and Quade, their combination back together. We know how dangerous they were for the Reds."
Haylett-Petty made 11 appearances for the Rebels last season after battling concussion but said he would be ready for round one.
"Obviously it was a disappointing Super Rugby season last year but I managed to get fit and play all of the Wallabies games so I had a good six or seven months and I'm really looking forward to this season," he added.
He said there was high expectation on the team to make the finals for the first time in club history after coming painstakingly close in 2018.
"We started quite well, surprisingly considering how little time we had to come together last year but we were very disappointed not to play in finals," Haylett-Petty said.
"I think all the changes that we made off the field, this is the best placed the club's ever been going into a season which is really exciting."
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Latest Comments
Were you shocked by Sexton trying to rip Barrett's head off when he scored that final try in that return game?
Sexton once again the beneficiary of incredible double standards. Some of the rules simply didn't apply to him. The referee even watched that replay about 5 times in slow motion to see if he grounded the ball. If an NZ player had made that tackle it would have been a yellow card.
Ireland led by Sexton were the biggest bunch of whingers to ever play the game. NZ's dislike of Ireland was not caused by losing to them, it was caused by the Irish players, commentators and media being such giant crybabies.
I genuinely think Ireland are the best team in the world, and I think they will beat the ABs on Friday, but they are by some distance the team I like the least, and I know many people, not just from NZ, who feel the same.
Go to commentsThanks for the analysis Nick, thought provoking as usual. Couple of queries though, in the pic where you've circled Williams bind , I'm pretty sure it shows Stuart's knee on the ground, surely that's a NZ penalty? Also having had the chance to watch it again the All Black scrum seeems to improve after halftime, but before either England or the All Blacks replace their props. Not sure if that was the result of Tuipolutu coming on or some halftime tips. Either way this is only Williams second international season, so he'll be better for the experience.
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