Sharks won't face Quade Cooper

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Reds chief playmaker, Quade Cooper, will not play against The Sharks because of a one-week suspension.

The Sharks will have arrived in Brisbane yesterday to learn that the Reds’ chief playmaker, Quade Cooper, will not play against them because of a one-week suspension handed out to him for a dangerous tackle on New South Wales centre Berrick Barnes during their match at the weekend, won 32-16 by the Queenslanders.

Good news indeed for the Sharks given that Cooper was rediscovering his best form after missing the first half of the competition because of a horrific knee injury sustained late last year.

Cooper was sin-binned for the offence yet has received further off-field censure, which seems tough, but the Sharks will not be complaining because Cooper’s combination with scrumhalf Will Genia is vital to how the Reds play.

Either utility back Ben Lucas or goal-kicking centre Mike Harris is expected to take Cooper’s place at No 10.

Just before the Sharks flew out, assistant coach Grant Bashford gave his thoughts on the up-coming quarter-final against the Queenslanders.

“They had a lot of players injured at the start of the tournament, including Quade Cooper, and as a lot of those key players have come back, they’ve gained rhythm and flow and confidence in the way they’ve played,” Bashford said.

“Cooper has been quite instrumental in their comeback. They’ve played most of the year without him and still managed to crack the play-offs. They will obviously miss him.”

Bashford said that it should not be forgotten that the Reds were the defending champions and had a lot of pride in defending their title.

“They are a championship side that knows how to win this tournament. And at home they’ll have huge support,” the backline coach said.

“We have the belief that we can do it, it’s just about getting our act together and getting it right on the day,” Bashford said. “A lot of our key players have come back from injury and are all playing well.

“We know that if we play well, we can beat any side in the tournament and I think we showed that in our games against the Stormers and Bulls,” Bashford continued. “The real trick for us is replicating those performances. We have the players to do it, it’s just getting ourselves organised. And if we get everything right and play the way we know we can play, we have a very good chance of progressing to the semi-finals.”