The Reds No.10 will return to the field on Saturday for the first time since he was left out of Cheika's squad for The Rugby Championship. He will suit up for Brisbane City in the NRC against the Fijian Drua at Ballymore, with the Pacific nation on debut in the competition.

After being a fixture for the Wallabies as a starter and from the bench for the best part of the past decade, Cooper was the most glaring omission as Cheika assembled his Rugby Championship squad.

He explained his reasoning to Cooper on the phone before saying he wanted to see more exuberance on the field for the Reds from the No.10 in a difficult and frustrating Super Rugby season.

"One of the big things for him is to look like he's enjoying his footy and getting out there and really being a competitor for that 10 jersey. We've had a talk about the reasons," Cheika said.

"A lot of that is trying to get him back into a space where he can be that player that's going to get us around the park and do the stuff we want him to do."

Cooper and Cheika have a good relationship but Cooper was surprised to learn of the suggestion he was falling out of love with the game. He said he remained motivated to play well for the Reds and Wallabies and would give his all throughout the NRC.

"I mean, it's not unfair ... everyone is entitled to their opinion. So if that's how it looked to him, then I have to respect that. That's his view and his opinion," Cooper said.

"But I was definitely enjoying my football. There was times throughout the year where it was definitely frustrating, we weren't winning the games we should have won or weren't playing to our potential. That's rugby.

"There were games where we exceeded our potential, like against the [Southern] Kings here in Brisbane."

It was a trying season for the Reds, who won just four games. Cooper said he wasn't going to act like that was an acceptable result and acted accordingly when the results went the wrong way.

"If you have respect for yourself, the team, the fans ... everyone ... if you put on a performance you aren't happy with, you're not going to be running around high-fiving and carrying on," Cooper said.

"I was definitely having fun. The thing that was a massive goal for me and boost to my confidence was playing in every game I was picked to play in and being able to play in every minute and be relatively injury free.

"You cop knocks and bruises. But that was a massive boost to get through the season with no surgery, no MRIs that were any real worry. I was having a good time and happy to be back at the Reds."

Cooper said his confidence hadn't been dented when given the news of his non-selection. He has tried to give it a positive spin, saying he was feeling physically fitter and stronger than he had in years and was looking forward to a rare pre-season with Queensland.

"I know how rugby goes and how teams are selected. In terms of a shot to my confidence, not at all. I look to this as a way to train, get strong and healthy. When you have been playing for the national side for eight to 10 years, you never really get a pre-season. The only time I get a pre-season is when I've been injured.

"To be fully fit and healthy, I feel like it's a great thing for me. If anything, it will be great for my confidence. Some of the stuff I've been doing in the gym, I haven't been that strong since I did my ACL.

"I feel like I'm physically and mentally in a great place and ready to push the boundaries off the field in terms of my ability."