Quade Cooper is one of the most polarising figures in rugby and has been since he stepped onto the international scene as an 18-year old in 2007.

But those close to him have a very different opinion of the world’s highest paid club rugby player.

After falling out of favour at the Reds, Cooper has spent the past few months playing and training with QLD Premier Rugby club Souths and his impact has been significant both on and off the field.

“We’ve had some very big crowds to start the year courtesy of Mr. Cooper,” Souths’ president Tony Shepley told Rugby News.

“We had twice as many as we usually get for our two trials and then our first home game on the weekend was huge. In fact, we’ve been working all week to get ready for the next home game. It’s a pretty good problem to have.”

After starring for the Australian Schoolboys in 2005 and 2006, Cooper has spent more than a decade in the media spotlight but Shepley said he had nothing but praise for the 70-cap Wallaby, who joined the club after his family moved to Brisbane from New Zealand when he was 12.

“He is a polarising figure but the Quade Cooper that we know down at the club couldn’t be further from it. His mother and father are quite involved in the club and his brothers play in the juniors and colts,” Shepley said.

“He’s only too happy to help out whenever we ask. This year he’s been running drills and helping coach premier grade, then when he finishes that he goes and helps out with the colts. He’s actually speaking at our colts launch on Saturday night.”

After a bye in round one, Cooper and the Magpies held off a fast finishing Easts outfit to open their 2018 campaign with a 39-31 victory in front of a packed house at Chipsy Wood Oval.

“I was in the sheds after the game on Saturday and he’s just one of the boys. He came looking for ice at one point and wanted to go get it himself,” Shepley continued.

“A friend of mine told me a story that his family met Quade on a trip back from Europe. His son stayed in contact with Quade and when they were back in Brisbane for the Super Rugby final in 2011, he met up with them at their hotel and gave the boy a signed jersey.

“He certainly doesn’t do these sort of things for the attention and that’s maybe why the media don’t pick up on it.”

While Cooper’s impact was obvious on Saturday, his teammates also look to have a newfound spring in their step and although his future remains unclear, Shepley said the club would like to keep him for as long as they can.

“Some of the guys have certainly gained a lot of confidence from having him around and you saw that on the weekend. He produced a few good offloads that led to tries but I think his impact on the other players was pretty substantial as well.

“We’re just waiting to see how things pan out. Obviously we’d love to have him at the club for as long as possible but if he gets another opportunity somewhere, we’d also be really happy for him.”

Souths and the Quade Cooper roadshow head to Norths this Saturday to face the Eagles, before returning home to play Brothers on April 21.

Photo: Brendan Hertel/QRU Media