A Difficult Decision for Cooper Bai
Cooper Bai, a 19-year-old rugby league player, has revealed that staying with the Gold Coast Titans and turning down the opportunity to follow in his father’s footsteps by joining Melbourne was the most challenging decision of his career. This decision came after he scored in the Titans’ 52-10 victory over Parramatta on Sunday. Bai also spoke about the immense support he received in Papua New Guinea last year, where he is seen as a potential target for the PNG Chiefs.
Bai’s decision to remain with the Titans was not an easy one, as he had the chance to join the Storm during the off-season, where his father, Marcus Bai, made his name as a Kumuls great. However, the young forward chose to stay with the team that has been a part of his life since childhood.
Bai’s father expressed his disappointment with his son’s decision to reject the Storm and the opportunity to train under Craig Bellamy. Despite this, Bai admitted that he was conflicted about leaving the Gold Coast before ultimately committing to the Titans until the end of 2027.
“It definitely was the toughest decision of my life I’ve ever had to make,” Bai said. “I’ve never had to make any decisions like that before, to pick between two clubs like that. I’ve grown up on the Gold Coast, and obviously I’ve got relations down south. To be honest, it was the toughest decision I think I’ve had to make in my life, being so young and having grown up here … having all my family and friends around this area and on the Gold Coast.”
The environment created by the rookie Titans coach, Josh Hannay, played a significant role in Bai’s decision to stay with the team. Bai mentioned that if the PNG Chiefs were to enter the NRL in 2028, he would consider his options then. However, for now, he is focused on his current commitments.
“If they end up coming out in 2028 … I don’t really think of that right now,” Bai said. “I’m just thinking right now. If stuff happens later, it happens later, but I’m staying around now.”
Bai’s experience playing for the Kumuls in international matches at the end of last year gave him a glimpse of the kind of reception he would receive in PNG. Every time he touched the ball, he was met with loud cheers from the crowd. This experience has prepared him for the upcoming Rugby League World Cup, where he is expected to be part of the PNG squad.
“I absolutely love everyone over in PNG,” Bai added. “The support and love that I get from everyone over there is tremendous. I’ve never felt anything like it at all, to be honest. It (the reception) caught me off guard a lot, it really did. I thought it’d just be playing a basic footy game. The boys always said it goes off when we’re in camp, and the fans are always really loud. I was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, I’ll just have to wait and see’, (but) to actually experience it was next level. At some points, I couldn’t even hear myself, it was just that loud.”
