For the past six and a half years of his short life, nine year-old Cooper has bravely fought his own personal battle with leukaemia. It’s a on-going struggle, for the young Taswegian is undergoing chemotherapy following his second relapse - but his is also a story of inspiration not lost on the likes of Chris Judd, Marc Murphy and Bryce Gibbs.
The Carlton players have, to a man, since formed a very special bond with Cooper, himself a member of the football club since 2003, and now firmly ensconced in Melbourne since his relocation from Hobart to undergo treatment.
During the week, Simon White, Robert Warnock and Joe Dare were amongst the players who welcomed Cooper to Visy Park, with Michael Jamison, Paul Bower and Nick Duigan sharing lunch with him.
Cooper wasn’t one to play favourites either. When asked to name his favourite Carlton player, Cooper showed off his true Blue colours when he promptly declared - “I have no particular favourite player - I love them all’.
