A relieved Quade Cooper has rated a hard-won clearance to restart his rugby career on par with gaining initial Wallabies selection.

In a major boost for Cooper and Queensland, the inside back was given the green light to resume playing after convincing high-ranking officials he'd come a long way since a bizarre early morning arrest on the Gold Coast in December.

Although burglary charges are still before the court, the 21-year-old will line up against the Western Force on Friday night in Perth in the Reds final trial before the Super 14 kicks off.

Queensland coach Ewen McKenzie selected the Test inside centre at five-eighth in a firm indication Cooper will go head-to-head with former teammate Berrick Barnes in Saturday week's round one grudge match against NSW.

Cooper was told late on Tuesday night he could return to action after a long three-hour meeting when he eloquently spoke from the heart about his progress under an intensive counselling and personal development program.

Indications are that officials from the Australian and Queensland Rugby Unions and the Rugby Union Players Association were originally leaning towards holding up his return until after the Super 14 kick-off.

"It has been an anxious time and to hear those words `you can play' is something like I can't explain the feeling," he said on Wednesday.

"It's like being told you are going to play a Wallabies game for the first time, or a Reds game."

ARU high-performance manager David Nucifora stressed Cooper's progress would continue to be closely monitored and it was up to him to stay on the right track.

Cooper, who had two previous discipline breaches, insisted his commitment wouldn't subside.

"It's back in my hands to keep going along this path and getting things right," he said. "It's not a matter of dropping off now just because I'm allowed to play footy.

"I'd like to think I'm a better person, and better for it.

"These experiences are something I wouldn't wish on anyone but I have to get things right and continue with life."

The decision stands as a huge positive for the battling Reds hopes of turning around their fortunes after six seasons in the cellar.

The chance to run Cooper at first-receiver for the final trial can't be understated as it allows McKenzie to play his full-strength backline together before the Waratahs clash at Suncorp Stadium.

With back-up Ben Lucas on the bench, the 11-Test back is also expected to shoulder the goalkicking responsibilities at Members Equity Stadium in an important audition for the Super 14.

McKenzie attended part of Tuesday night's conference held by Nucifora, QRU boss Jim Carmichael and RUPA's Rosemary Towner and spoke of Cooper's input at Ballymore since returning from the Wallabies grand slam tour.

"I've seen him progress and his personality and mentality progress in the last five or six weeks - I've been very impressed with him as an individual," the coach said.

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