Gavin Cooper Rugby player
Gavin Cooper (born 19 August 1985 in Murgon, Queensland) is an Australian professional rugby league player for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL). He is currently in his second spell with the Cowboys, having also played in the NRL for the Penrith Panthers and the Gold Coast Titans. Cooper primarily plays in the second row, the position he prefers, but has also played in the centres.Cooper started his NRL career with the Cowboys before moving to the Gold Coast Titans for the club's inaugural season in 2007. A good season made him a contender for selection to Queensland's State of Origin team. However, in 2008 Cooper had limited game time for the Titans and accepted a contract to play for the Penrith Panthers from 2009. After two seasons with the Panthers, Cooper returned to the North Queensland Cowboys on a contract for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. In 2011 he was a regular member of the Cowboys' first-grade side that made the NRL finals, and was named the team's "Club Person of the Year", because of his hard work on and off the field.Cooper returned home to North Queensland in 2011 and as he had been previously touted a future origin player, and with his strongest season since 2006 he is again being talked as a future rep player if he stays in form.In 2011 Gavin Cooper was one of the NRL's most dangerous forwards, as he and Johnathan Thurston were a dynamic duo. Cooper is a strong runner and has great ability running through holes in defence. Cooper scored 6 tries and kicked 1 goal in 24 appearances in 2011, as well as a big number of line-breaks and tackle-breaks. Cooper is contracted to the Cowboys until the 2012 season and is described as a very versatile player. During the month of May 2012 the Cowboys announced they had re-signed Cooper until the end of the 2014 NRL season. He is currently in career best form; averaging 100 metres a game and 30 tackles. Cooper is currently in contention for a spot in the Queensland origin team. After a strong season in 2013, he was selected in the Prime Ministers XIII side to take on Papua New Guinea which was his first representative jumper in the NRL.On the 12th of May 2014 Cooper re-signed with the Townsville based club until the end of 2017. In round 11 of that season Cooper broke his hip and was ruled out for four months. The injury made him ineligible for the upcoming State Of Origin series.