 He joined Collingwood in 1983, although he would occasionally miss games due to his army commitments.Collingwood's secretary, John Birt, described Cooper as a "mini Rene Kink".After appearing in three reserves fixtures, Cooper played in Collingwood's round 12 win over Melbourne at VFL Park; it was the only VFL game of his career, and he had 10 disposals and kicked a behind.