The Reds and Wallabies playmaker will be under intense scrutiny this season as he enters the final year of his Reds contract, with rugby league and European rugby already being mentioned as possible destinations.

Both are very reasonable suggestions, as would the notion of him staying on at a revitalised Ballymore still buzzing from the recruitment of Karmichael Hunt and James O'Connor.

But Cooper, who has had a pair of professional fights, has much more than a passing interest in the sweet science and could yet take 12 months out of his football career to see if he has what it takes to make a go of the fight game.

At 26, Cooper understands that stepping out once a year against hand-picked journeymen (Barry Dunnett, Warren Tresidder) can only take you so far. He said he did not want to be regarded as a "circus act" by the rusted-on boxing crowd.

"When I started boxing, I started right at the bottom and I'm still at the bottom," Cooper said. "I'm not moving too far up being able to have one fight every year.

"It's something I will definitely have a look at at some stage of my career. Whether it's something I love enough, or have enough skill to push to the next level, those are conversations that I have to have with my manager, my trainer.

"If they think I can go further, maybe. There are a lot of decisions to be made."

Cooper said the game had changed, thanks to multi-sport trailblazers such as Anthony Mundine, new Reds teammate Hunt and former NRL star Jarryd Hayne, who quit rugby league at the peak of his powers to follow a dream of playing in the NFL.

"Hayne is a guy who has set the tone for a lot of people. You look at guys before him - Anthony Mundine quit rugby league in his prime to pursue a boxing career - it's always a risk that not many people are willing to take.

"Is [boxing] something, in all seriousness, would I be good enough? They're the questions you have to ask. Nobody wants to be a circus act. We're in the entertainment business, but you never want to take the piss. You need to give it everything you've got."

Cooper was due to fight for the third time later this month, but will now take part in a Reds trial against the Rebels on January 31.

The late change of plans led to more speculation of a rift between Cooper, coach Richard Graham and chief executive Jim Carmichael, but he said he had already moved on and there was no animosity heading into the season.

He said his first love remained rugby and he would shut out all talk about his future until the completion of the World Cup, a stage on which he is keen to impress after a torrid time in New Zealand under the direction of former coach Robbie Deans.

"It's disappointing," Cooper said of the cancelled fight. "But at the end of the day, you control what you can control. It's not my place to argue that and kick up a stink. My job is to play football and do a good job for the team, contribute in a positive manner to the team and organisation.

"Rugby is my first love and my passion. There are a lot of decisions to be made. But at the same time, I have to respect the sport that has given me the most and that's rugby. When I'm here, it's my sole focus. And when I'm off contract, I'm off contract."

Cooper credits boxing with helping him mature off the field and, despite meagre opposition, most pundits agree he has shown some clear ability, as well as obvious athleticism.

Translating that into becoming a successful pro fighter requires a busier schedule of bouts than football can accommodate. But Cooper has no financial concerns and could easily return to one of the rugby codes if the squared circle did not become a field of dreams.