[url=http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/sport/EXCLUSIVE-Cooke-takes-break-rugby-signs-Mail-columnist/article-3138984-detail/article.htmlTakes a year out !![/url

A 'troubled' player but what a waste.


Oh and my alternative blog about the Leigh game is below

He's taking a break from play professional Rugby League in the same way I've taken a break from starring in a Broadway production of Cats. If no one offers you a deal, you are taking a break. I don't if he claims his phone rings, he's burnt that many bridges I'd be surprised if anyone touched him with a barge pole. Don't see how 12 months doing exactly what he likes, when he likes is going to help him long term.

even schofield doesn't want him at barrow, i think that tells its own story.

Forgive me but what is so bad about Cooke that makes him not a good purchase? He can be a real match-winner on his day. Is he just a bad apple? What has he done? I take my hat of him leaving FC (when they'd been in two finals in as many seasons) for KR when they'd just been promoted.

disruptive, ill disciplined, unprofessional.




and not connected in anyway to this post, todays random word.

Pisshead.

I've no idea but some other people have suggested he (allegedly):-

- fights with his teammates
- fights with the general public
- turns up hungover for training
- turns up half cut for training

Apart from that he's a model pro.

Sounds like a keeper!!

The above might be codswallop but you make a good point, he can play - if any of the above is half true that's the answer why he isn't next season.

It just seems weird how nothing has came out other than negative 'buzz words'. No real stories in the press. Although a player of his quality hasn't been snapped up does seem strange which leads me to believe it may well be his decision. Look at all the the football players who have been in court, arrested or even served time, they all have a list of teams asking for the signature or maintaining them, as its a results business.

Hmmmmmmm.....

I haven't seen any, copy and paste some on here.

www.thisishullandeastriding.co.u ... ticle.html thats a nice catalogue of his off field misdemeanours. Thats not covering his attitude and behaviour as mentioned by ian above. Theres also one other thing that was doing the rounds when i was made mod thats never seemed to have made it public.

www.thisishullandeastriding.co.u ... ticle.html thats a nice catalogue of his off field misdemeanours. Thats not covering his attitude and behaviour as mentioned by ian above. Theres also one other thing that was doing the rounds when i was made mod thats never seemed to have made it public.

Did that have something to do with The Hull KR Coach?

Wasted talent. Why would anyone touch such a sulking, lazy pain in the . Money's tight at every club and with his reputation you can't blame anyone not taking a punt on him.

A truly wasted talent. If he'd have stuck to his game, he could have arguably been a England contender. Part of me feels he deserves not having a team for all the crap he's done, but a part of me feels sympathy for him because on his day he can match it with the best.

Antony Mundine Mark II

is he still blind in one eye?

A teetotal non-smoking super fit athlete who does shed loads of charity work for disadvantaged schoolkids and campaigns against alcohol, gambling and drugs?

Yep. Did you run out of space or deliberately miss out 'disruptive'?

Paul Cooke to me always came across as a mood type player, if he was in the mood he would show off his full range of passing skills, if he wasn`t in the mood he would often just dissapear into the background and you would hardly notice him.

He`s obviously had issues in his personal life, a bit of a maverick type personality, a good player when on song that can control games with his passing and short kicking game but very inconsistent, a bit like Lee Briers before Tony Smith arrived.

never liked him as a player but agree with what has been said when he is in the mood can control the game but very inconsistent and i think not at the same standard as lee.

I was very disappointed, i watched Can't cooke, Won't cooke on BBC and it was just two dodgy chefs and some women who frankly i wouldn't smash

=#FFFFFFtwo topics in one, awesome

Mundine wasn't disruptive to a team. He never got into trouble off the field and his teammates loved him, so did David Waite who was his coach at the Dragons. The reason Mundine got a reputation as a controversial character was because he was outspoken to the media on a lot of issues:
- where most players leave contract negotiations to their agents, Mundine came up front to the media during the Super League war when he was asked about his future and said he was going where he got the best offer. Having said this, when the British media hinted English clubs were interested in him, he didn't try to use that to bid him up, he said Australia was the land of his people and nobody would drive him out of it
- he was super self confident in his own ability and when he didn't make the Aussie squad he told the media he was better than Daley/Fittler and insinuated racism. This did not endear him to the ARL or a lot of Aussie fans.
- when September 11 happened (he had already left league by this point) he made some comments about US bringing enemies on themselves through their foreign policy.
- he annoys a lot of Aussies today by saying he's Australias greatest ever athlete, ahead of Rod Laver and Don Bradman

Mundine got a lot of peoples backs up but it was people in the media and fans of opposing teams, the Dragons fans still hero worship him. Saying he was disruptive is like saying Roy Keane was disruptive at United.

And in fairness to Mundine, when he was playing RL he could back up his mouth. He put a lot of pressure on himself by saying he was better than Daley and Fittler but it wasn't a ludicrous claim.

he wasn't very good at putting contact lenses in though

David Waite may have loved him. Wayne Bennett certainly didn't. Not disruptive? He hardly aided the situation SBW and Canterbury, disrupting a team he wasn't even part of!