ARU High Performance manager, David Nucifora. Credit:Getty Images "Like any player's contract I'm not going to go into what it is or how it's put together, but it's a substantial amount of money that I think any player would be happy to accept, to be honest," he said. "I see this thing about a 'rookie' contract. There's no rookies in Australian rugby that earn that sort of money. It's a substantial contract, it's not a rookie contract." It is understood the ARU structures offers it makes to Test players in a way that would give Cooper the ability to earn a large top-up if he played a certain number of Tests - not, as has been claimed, a match-by-match model. Nucifora said the ARU tried to contact Cooper's management after seeing reports this week the injured five-eighth was going to walk away from rugby.

"Our contracting manager [Matt Carroll] has tried to speak directly to his agent without any success," Nucifora said. "Obviously on the back of what came out Monday night we've tried to make contact, with little joy and no luck, about wanting to enter into a discussion. Without dialogue it's pretty difficult to go anywhere." Cooper was last month fined $40,000 for a series of criticisms he made of the Wallabies and the ARU, which involved claims the Test team environment was "toxic" and "destroying" him as a person and as a player. Nucifora said the ARU considered the matter water under the bridge and wanted Cooper to stay in the sport. "I think the fact that there's an offer being given to Quade is enough to suggest that people have moved on and are ready to rebuild things," he said.