Green headgear monster Bai ready to debut for PNG
Joel Gould |
The Pacific Championships are set to say hello to a very good Bai.
Cooper Bai. Remember the name.
The 19-year-old forward is the son of Melbourne and Papua New Guinea (PNG) legend Marcus Bai who was a tearaway on the wing for the Storm and Kumuls.
Cooper, who had a stunning NRL debut for Gold Coast in round 27, is a rampaging forward who can play in the middle or on the edge.
He will make his Test debut in the Pacific Bowl competition which will also feature Fiji and Cook Islands in Port Moresby from October 18.
You can’t miss him in his resplendent and distinctive green headgear, which he wore in a blistering 30 minutes off the bench in a debut 36-28 win over Wests Tigers.
“I’ve always worn the green headgear since I was about 12,” Bai told AAP.
“My mum (Heidi) always wanted me to stand out and she really liked the green headgear as well. I’ve always worn it for her.”
Bai will taste of international action when he plays for the PNG Prime Minister’s XIII against Australia’s equivalent in Port Moresby on Sunday, although it’s not an official Test.
“I can’t wait to play for Papua New Guinea. Last year I injured my ankle so I wasn’t able to play,” Bai told AAP.
“It would mean everything to play for my country. The whole of PNG has given me great support.
“When I made my NRL debut they got right behind me.”
Bai said his Instagram account “blew up” with well wishers after his debut.
“It was really important for me to play my first NRL game. It was always a dream for me as a kid,” he said.
The Queensland under-19s star’s father Marcus, who won the 1999 NRL title with the Storm, has been his guide.
“Dad has done so much for my career. Since I was a kid he brought me up the right way, to be a good person first,” Bai said.
“He taught me to take the steps to get me where I am today as a rugby league player.
“His best advice has been that hard work means everything and you are not going to achieve anything without it.
“I have always been a back-rower or a middle. I grew up looking up to how guys like Victor Radley, Cameron Murray and Isaiah Yeo play the game.”
Bai said senior Titans forwards Moeaki Fotuaika and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui had been much valued mentors.
“I am very excited about Cooper,” Titans captain Fa’asuamaleaui told AAP.
“We watched him shine in the Queensland Cup and his transfer to the NRL was just so good.
“It was a massive debut. He worked hard and played 30 minutes straight. In that green headgear he stood out with his big runs.
“It gave me flashbacks to when I was a young boy playing with the likes of Jesse Bromwich and all those older Storm boys.
“Cooper is our future. I am looking forward to running out with him next year.”
Bai is off contract at the end of next year but wants to remain a Titan.
“I see a bright future at the Titans,” he said.
“We have new coaches coming in and I can’t wait to get back to training. I grew up here so it would good if I can stay.”
AAP
