A recent social media post from former rugby union star Quade Cooper shows just how much his life has changed since the peak of his footy career.
The 37-year-old playmaker finished up with Japanese club Kintetsu Liners this year and has recently taken up a the challenge of playing American flag football.
Flag football, the non-contact cousin of American football, will make its Olympic debut in LA – and Cooper is hoping to win gold.
On Thursday, the footy star took to X to offer his services to touch footy teams on the Gold Coast after returning to Australia recently.
‘If there’s any local touch rugby comps on the Gold Coast at the moment that need players? HMU [Hit me up],’ he posted on X.
Footy fans were stoked that the Wallabies legend could potentially play on their team for free.
Wallabies playmaker Quade Cooper (pictured in 2023) has changed up his life quite a lot in the last few years
The one-time golden boy of Aussie rugby has his eyes set on representing Australia in flag football at the LA Olympics
‘I don’t think anyone wants to play against you man but that would be a dream,’ replied one fan.
Last week, Cooper played flag football for Australia in a match held in Los Angeles.
’20yrs ago I played my first professional game against Japan and today I play my first game against Japan in LA. Crazy full circle moment. Forever connected to Japan,’ he posted to X.
Turning out to play touch against amateurs is a million miles away from the fly-half’s career peak after he made his Wallabies debut in 2008 and went on to play 80 Tests for Australia, scoring 208 points.
Cooper first rose to prominence as a talented schoolboy when on scholarship at the Anglican Church Grammar School in Brisbane.
Cooper played in the ‘Churchie’ first XV in 2005 and 2006 and was quickly snapped up by the Queensland Reds after finishing high school.
Along with fellow young guns Kurtley Beale and James O’Connor, Cooper was viewed as an excitement machine at the time as the Wallabies looked to once again become a force in world rugby.
The New Zealand-born playmaker has also dabbled in professional boxing and dated the likes of model Laura Dundovic, champion Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice and socialite Nicole Shiraz.
After making his name as a schoolboy star in Queensland, Cooper played 80 Tests for the Wallabies in a decorated career (pictured in 2020)
The playmaker overlooked by former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones (pictured) in 2023
He also had his controversies over the years, the most notable of which was copping a $40,000 fine and three-match suspension for describing the Wallabies as a ‘toxic environment … destroying me as a player and a person’ in 2012.
Cooper was controversially overlooked by former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones in 2023, bringing to an end his stint with the national team.
Right now – in addition to getting a few games of touch footy – he is determined add the title ‘Olympian’ to his list of achievements.
‘To be part of something that could potentially change the landscape for a lot of people in our country, all around the world, give them an avenue to play in a sport at the Olympics, is pretty special,’ Cooper said.
His passing wizardry and knack for flair have already earned him highlight reels on social media – skills that suit the quarterback role perfectly.
And he’s not looking to go it alone. Cooper has a wishlist of elite Aussie athletes he hopes will join him, including NRL stars Reece Walsh, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, and cross-code talent Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.
‘You look at guys like Reece Walsh, like the Hammer… the way they move, the way they’re able to accelerate, how dynamic they are,’ he said.
Cooper has dated a number of high-profile women, including model Laura Dundovic and Olympic swimming champion Stephanie Rice (pictured)
‘These are guys who play on both sides of the ball. It’s not a contact game, but just the awareness to be able to know how someone moves, be able to defend them.’
The non-contact game involves five players per side, using flag belts instead of tackles – making it faster, safer, and more accessible.
‘For a lot of people who love and want to participate in rugby or league or AFL, that’s very similar – a lot of skills and attributes of the game that I love so much,’ Cooper said.
‘But to be able to do that and not have the head knocks, the broken bones and the collisions – I look at it from all aspects like that, and this is pretty exciting to be part of.’
