“I’m not comfortable with it”

Wallabies boss Michael Cheika refuses to shut the door on Quade Cooper despite the playmaker being shut out of Super Rugby by new Reds head coach Brad Thorn.

Cooper is currently training with his Brisbane cub side Souths instead, and has two years still to run on his ARU contract worth a reported $800,000 per season.

While Cheika said it was the Reds’ prerogative to leave him out of their squad for the forthcoming season, it was his responsibility as national coach to find a way to get the 70-Test veteran back playing professional rugby.

“No, I’m not comfortable with it obviously but that’s the way it is,” Cheika told reporters in Sydney

“Queensland made the decision and they’re entitled to make that decision.

“My challenge is to try to get him into a place where I can still have him as an option somewhere along the line to be selected, and if that’s through him finding a place here or to play somewhere else (overseas) — he qualifies with the 60 cap rule — so that’s another option.

“But we’ll talk with Queensland and we’ll see where we go.”

Cheika also revealed that Thorn has explained his reasoning by the decision to him and he respects it. Cheika says you “write your own script” as a head coach.

“You write your own script (as a head coach),” Cheika said.

“They’re the decisions that you make and then you become accountable for those going forward.

“I think there’s ways we can turn that negative into a positive.

“It’s just about getting going.”