Son of Super League cult hero lands NRL opportunity after impressing at junior level
Marcus Bai scores a try for Leeds Rhinos in their 2005 Challenge Cup final defeat to Hull FC
Cooper Bai, the son of Leeds Rhinos cult hero Marcus, will join the Gold Coast Titans on a full-time train and trial deal for 2025 having impressed at junior level Down Under.
Dad Marcus won the Super League title with Leeds in 2004 – scoring 45 tries in 63 appearances across all competitions including one in the 2005 Challenge Cup final defeat to former club Hull FC.
Also going on to feature in Super League for Bradford Bulls, winger Bai – a 14-time Papua New Guinea international – won the World Club Challenge with the Rhinos in 2005.
He is one of very few players to have both won a Super League title and been crowned an NRL champion, winning the Grand Final Down Under with Melbourne Storm in 1999.
LRL RECOMMENDS: Papua New Guinea star receives ultimate international honour, follows in father’s footsteps
Son of Super League cult hero lands NRL opportunity after impressing at junior level
52-year-old Bai played 17 games for the Gold Coast Chargers, now known as the Titans, in 1997 prior to linking up with the Storm.
28 years on, son Cooper – a loose forward – could be donning a Titans shirt in the NRL come 2025.
Having starred in the Mal Meninga Cup Grand Final earlier this year, the 17-year-old was chosen to represent Queensland’s under-19s side against their New South Wales counterparts.
Speaking to the Papua New Guinean branch of news outlet NBC about Bai junior, the Titans’ Elite Pathways head coach Matt Keating said: “Cooper’s open willingness to actively seek advice and engage with our coaches has significantly enhanced his on-field performances during his time within our Future Titans Programme.
“His dedication and continuous efforts to improve during each session have been instrumental in his progression from our pathways to the NRL system.
“I am confident he possesses all of the qualities needed to succeed in his debut NRL pre-season and I’m excited to see how he develops throughout 2025.”
Meanwhile, Cooper himself added: “I’m just keen for the challenge of going into my first NRL pre-season and training with the top-30 squad.
“Learning off the NRL boys is something I’m really excited about and I can’t wait to get to work. My goal is to better myself and my game, and I really want to get a feel of it, get my fitness and strength up to NRL standard and progress from the Future Titans Programme to the NRL level.”
LRL RECOMMENDS: NRL veteran makes retirement call after Super League stint
