Robert Cooper (31 August 1955 – 9 December 2022) was an Australian professional footballer. He played

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

in the

New South Wales Rugby League The New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was ...

. In 1982, Cooper was suspended for the equal-longest period in rugby league history. Cooper played rugby league for

Western Suburbs Magpies The Western Suburbs Magpies (legal name: Western Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club Ltd) are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly r ...

and

North Sydney Bears The North Sydney Bears is an Australian rugby league football club based in North Sydney, New South Wales. The club competes in the New South Wales Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL season after 90 years in the ...

and, in 1980, was selected in the New South Wales team for the inaugural game in the

State of Origin A State of Origin competition is a type of sporting event between players representing their state or territory. State of Origin began in Australian rules football on 8 October 1977 between Western Australia (WA) and Victoria, at Subiaco Oval ...

. He played primarily in the back row. Cooper was named in the Western Suburbs Magpies Team of the Eighties, in the second-row. In 1982, Cooper was suspended for the equal-longest period in rugby league history, of fifteen months, after he ran in to join a brawl and left three

Illawarra Steelers The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level rugby league competition from 1982 until 1998. On the 13th of December 1980, the ...

players flattened during a match at

Wollongong Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...

showground. When imposing the suspension, the NSW Rugby League judiciary chairman, Jim Comans said, ''"Acts such as these must be obliterated from the game, and I'll begin by obliterating you."'' In 1983, Cooper played

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

with

St George Saint George (Greek language, Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin language, Latin: Georgius, Arabic language, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christians, Christian who is venerated as a sa ...

in the Sydney Football League and won the reserve competition's

best and fairest In Australian sport, the best and fairest award recognises the player(s) adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition. The awards are sometimes dependent on not receiving a suspensi ...

award. In 1984, Cooper returned to the NSW Rugby League with North Sydney but, after only four games, he dislocated his shoulder and retired from football. Cooper died from cancer on 9 December 2022, at the age of 67.

References

1955 births 2022 deaths Australian rugby league players New South Wales Rugby League State of Origin players Western Suburbs Magpies players North Sydney Bears players St George AFC players Australian rules footballers from New South Wales Rugby league players from New South Wales Rugby league second-rows {{Australia-rugbyleague-bio-1950s-stub