Updated ,first published
Cooper Bai became a teenage cult hero with only one NRL game to his name.
Craig Bellamy, Ivan Cleary and Trent Robinson all wanted a piece of him. A rugby league-mad nation of 11 million still do, not to mention the incoming PNG Chiefs franchise, with all their tax incentives and the complications of a family feud rolled in one.
Bai, still just 19, has dinner plate hands and the rugby league world at his feet – but rookie Titans coach Josh Hannay has been instrumental in keeping one of the game’s most promising forwards grounded.
Which is quite the achievement, given the way he was mobbed by PNG fans – who cheered every touch of his Kumuls debut louder than any other player – in Port Moresby last year.
That was before the summer Bai then spent weighing up “the toughest decision of my life”. The youngster eventually backflipped on a proposed move to Melbourne (after Zoom meetings with Cleary and Robinson, too) to stay with the Gold Coast, a call which caused significant angst. His father, Storm and PNG legend Marcus Bai, was highly critical of his son’s decision, which came during the NRL’s mandated 10-day cooling-off period.
Bai’s new Titans contract contains a 2028 option that puts him on the market for the Chiefs’ first year in the NRL, though Marcus’s position on the PNG board may cloud the club’s plans to make Cooper a marquee signing.
For now, Bai is firm in the Gold Coast being the best place for him. His fluoro green headgear, bullocking play and famous surname will ensure an enduring cult status in PNG for years anyway.
“I absolutely love everyone over in PNG,” Bai said after his impressive showing in the Gold Coast’s 52-10 demolition of Parramatta on Sunday.
“The support and love that I get from everyone over there is tremendous. I’ve never felt anything like it at all, to be honest. It [the reception] caught me off guard a lot, it really did.
“I thought it’d just be playing a basic footy game… to actually experience it was next level. At some points, I couldn’t even hear myself, it was just that loud.”
PNG will almost certainly come calling down the line.
“But I’m staying around now,” Bai says.
As the Gold Coast show steady signs of improvement in a 2-4 start to the year that belies their added defensive starch, Hannay is proving a key figure in Bai’s development.
“I’ve never had to make any decisions like that before, [picking] between two clubs like that,” Bai said. “I’ve pretty much grown up here my whole life, and this is all I’ve known. Being able to interact and see how things are done in other teams and other areas was a big insight for me.
“It came down to me making decisions for myself and what I thought was best at the time. I felt it was best to stay here with the new coaching staff and all of that. That was the main reason. And [Hannay] has been amazing for me.
“He’s been teaching me the basics around the game and continually helping me to improve in my craft, playing in my position, and just playing in the NRL … He’s honestly been a game-changer for me.”
South Sydney seek exemption to promote Dufty in time to face Dragons
Christian Nicolussi
South Sydney have applied to the NRL for permission to promote Matt Dufty to their first-grade squad in time to face his former club, St George Illawarra, this weekend after fullback Jye Gray suffered an AC joint injury that could sideline him for up to a month.
Dufty, 30, returned to Australia at the end of last season after a spell in Super League to be closer to family with his partner expecting their baby.
The livewire speedster signed a deal with Souths to play NSW Cup, but Gray’s injury has prompted the club to seek the NRL’s blessing to play him as early as this weekend against the spluttering Dragons.
If Dufty is given the green light, there will be no shortage of motivation for him to shine against the Red V, where he started his NRL career.
Under NRL rules, reserve-grade players cannot be promoted to first grade until after round 11, unless there is a shortage of options in particular positions.
Latrell Mitchell is an established fullback and moved to the back when Gray came from the field in the first half during the loss to Canberra in Perth. However, Mitchell spent little time training at fullback over the summer and has found a home at left centre this season.
If Mitchell moved to No.1, Souths’ options in the outside backs would then be limited, especially with Isaiah Tass (knee) and Tyrone Munro (stood down) unavailable.
Dufty scored three tries against Canterbury in the Good Friday curtain-raiser and featured in Sunday night’s NSW Cup win over Parramatta. Souths baulked at pulling him out of the Eels clash as they awaited the exemption from the NRL. He also impressed coaches during the pre-season trials, including running for over 200m in the Charity Shield match against the Dragons.
In other team news, Jake Trbojevic (eye) trained away from Manly’s main group on Monday, but already declared he will be fit for Thursday’s road trip to Townsville.
Kobe Hetherington is battling an ankle injury, but is pushing to play against the Cowboys, while middle forward reinforcements Sio Siua Taukeiaho and Nathan Brown both trained strongly.
Fellow prop Taniela Paseka said Taukeiaho was sorely missed during the opening rounds, and his inclusion could have saved the Sea Eagles from an 0-3 start.
“His return couldn’t have come at a better time, we needed him from round one,” Paseka said. “He’s a gun through the middle, and if he was with us from the start, we probably win one of those first three games we lost.
“He’s been in finals, he’s won comps, we all look up to him, especially [us] younger Tongans. It’s exciting to have him back.”
Brisbane’s Pat Carrigan accepted a two-match ban for a high tackle against the Cowboys, which sees him miss Saturday’s clash with the Wests Tigers in Campbelltown.
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Dan Walsh is a sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.
