Cooper grew up playing rugby league with Shaun Kenny-Dowall and even came close to joining the NRL's Melbourne Storm in 2008. In August 2010 Cooper was rumoured to be considering a switch to rugby league and playing for the Parramatta Eels in the 2011 NRL season. This would have meant Cooper sacrificing his Wallabies' position. A figure of $850,000 was speculated, and Parramatta reportedly offered Cooper $1.5 million over three years. The issue was resolved in September when Cooper signed a one-year deal with the Australian Rugby Union. He said, even though he found the Parramatta offer flattering, he still saw his future in rugby union. For 2011 he wanted to continue with the Reds, and hoped to continue with the Wallabies and represent Australia at the 2011 Rugby World Cup.