The rumours are true

We blogged on Wednesday about rumours that Khoder Nasser was pushing Quade Cooper and Sonny Bill Williams as a package deal. And it seems that this rumour was right on the money; with the 2012 NRL Grand Final just a few hours away, Fox Sport reports:

Sonny Bill Williams will only play in the NRL next year if Quade Cooper is beside him, with the pair looking certain to be in the same team, whether it be league or union.

The Sunday Telegraph has learned Williams and Cooper will now come as a package deal, such is the desire of the two stars to play together.

While Williams has long been linked to the Roosters, he has never publicly said which club he is joining - nor has he signed any NRL contract.
Cooper, whose stunning attack on the ARU has signalled the end of his Wallabies career, has suddenly become an integral part of any deal Williams does sign for 2013.
Williams revealed this month that he was attempting to lure Cooper to the NRL next year, and he was obviously aware of the Wallabies five-eighth's issues with Australian rugby when he backed him to succeed in a code switch.
In an extraordinary outburst, Cooper has jeopardised a $2.25 million deal in Australian rugby by openly criticising the national team environment and lack of quality facilities.

 

We're going to take a punt right here and now, and say that Sonny Bill Williams will be without a gig next season. The Roosters would be daft to take this deal, and it would be nigh on impossible for them to stay within the NRL's salary cap if they signed the big-noter Nasser's suite of players.

And why would the Roosters be interested in Cooper anyway? He has shown in recent weeks that he is a loose cannon, his defence is hugely suspect as is his decision-making under pressure, and to cap it off, he's had two knee surgeries within the last twelve months. He would be a highly speculative investment for the Roosters.

Is it one they are prepared to make to get Williams? Or has the Khoder Nasser Effect come into play, with Nasser pricing his clients off the market? We will be interested to see how this plays out, but we have a suspicion that Nasser is going to have to enter into negotiation with someone other than the Roosters.