Dustin Cooper - from the Newtown Jets to the Melbourne Storm

As you are no doubt aware, Dustin Cooper is having a tremendous season with the Melbourne Storm as a winger/centre, and that he is in fact third on the NRL try-scoring table at the time of writing.

Dustin is a product of the Murgon club in the South Burnett area of Queensland and joined the strong Redcliffe club in his late teens. At the end of the 2002 season, he attracted the attention of Melbourne Storm talent scouts, but there was a hitch - Redcliffe had no problem releasing Cooper to the Storm, but they weren't keen about seeing him line up for the Storm's feeder club Northern Suburbs (Brisbane) to play against Redcliffe in the 2003 Queensland Cup. Storm assistant coach Dean Lance (who played with Newtown in 1982-83) came up with an innovative solution - why not loan Dustin to the NSWRL VB Premier League club Newtown when he was not on NRL duty with the Storm?

The deal was done, and Cooper played a total of seven games for the Jets in the NSW Premier League in 2003, and was a key player in several of those matches in which Newtown upset more fancied opponents. He had a particularly strong game in the final competition round when the Jets defeated Newcastle at Energy Australia Stadium. I was approached by two senior Knights officials immediately after the game to see if he was coming off contract!

Dustin's stint at Newtown in 2003 clearly gave him a top-class preparation for the success he is enjoying today. It also highlights the valuable role played by a club like Newtown in the NSWRL VB Premier League, in being an excellent preparation ground for young players on their way up, and a great "second chance" club for players looking to resurrect their careers and to have another shot at the NRL. The Sydney Airport Jets - proud to be sponsored by such great Australian business enterprises as Sydney Airport and the Petersham RSL Club.