Quade Cooper. Photo / Getty Images
Eels fullback Jarryd Hayne hasn't given up on playing alongside Quade Cooper, believing the Wallabies playmaker could still make a switch to the NRL.
Cooper on Friday re-signed with the Australian Rugby Union for another year, ending speculation over his immediate future after he was heavily linked with the Eels.
But Hayne feels there could be a different result at the end of next season following the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
"He's very keen to try his hand at league, so I guess we've just got to wait 12 months," Hayne said.
The Eels reportedly offered 22-year-old Cooper a big cash incentive to make the switch and Hayne said it would have been exciting to play alongside him.
"He's such a talented athlete and his ability and experience is similar to mine, with his way of thinking and the way he plays the game," Hayne said.
Departing North Queensland Cowboys forward Willie Mason has questioned whether coach Neil Henry is the man to resurrect the ailing club's on-field stocks.
The outspoken Mason, who spent this season with the 15th-placed side before signing with English club Hull KR, says tough decisions need to be made in Townsville.
The Cowboys are reviewing all aspects of their operation after a woeful year and have already moved chief executive Peter Parr into another role.
Test halfback Johnathan Thurston's captaincy is also reportedly under the microscope.
Asked if the players at the club were happy, Mason said: "I don't think so. Obviously there's got to be some changes up there."
Henry is signed until the end of 2013 but the former test forward hinted the coaching position also needed reviewing.
"I think the board has to make that decision and they've got to make some really tough decisions," Mason said. "Obviously it starts at the coach."
- AAP
