Cosier's star shone very briefly following a sensational debut, when he became only the ninth Australian to post a century in his first Test.
The stocky, redheaded Cosier was a middle-order batsman who often attacked the bowling when a more judicious method was the order of the day.
Given an extended trial at international level over four seasons, he never really established himself as a Test batsman, although he was vice-captain of Australia for a brief period.
Test bowlers were quick to exploit his technical deficiencies, in particular a very short backlift and abbreviated footwork.
Cosier was all brute force with little finesse, but he did try to modify his technique somewhat during the 1978–79 Ashes series, when he was incongruously used as an opener.
On the 1977 tour of England he showed in an ODI at Edgbaston that he could have been well suited to the burgeoning genre of one-day cricket when he snared five for 18.
Born and raised in Melbourne, Cosier attended University High School, where he captained the First XI and represented the Australian junior team in the West Indies.
"[4] During that summer he also appeared for the Victorian Colts side along with such players as Rodney Hogg and Paul Hibbert.
[5] Cosier struggled with his weight throughout his career, in part due to his back trouble – a permanent condition since birth: a vertebra is out of alignment.
[15] Cosier celebrated this by promptly scoring another century for South Australia against the West Indians, 107.
"[21] Cosier was taken to hospital after crashing into a boundary and knocking his head while fielding during South Australia's Gilette Cup semi-final loss to Queensland.
Cosier made a slow start to the 1976–77 summer, and was lucky to keep his place in the test side against Pakistan.
"[29] Cosier said his innings of 42 against a Queensland attack led by Jeff Thomson was his best ever for South Australia.
But since then a question mark has arisen over his dedication to cricket, and also over his ability to play on wickets which are doing a bit.
[32]Cosier responded with a first innings 168 in the second test, crucial to helping set up an Australian victory.
Cosier later recalled: I was told he was handing out a few theatre tickets and I didn't suspect anything because he always looked after the boys.
[18]A back injury got Cosier's tour off to a poor start, forcing him to miss a game.
[41] Things got worse when it was revealed most of the Australian squad had signed to play World Series Cricket.
In 1977, I flew over to England with the players and that was the flight on which Rodney Marsh broke the world beer drinking record.
I certainly felt excluded... At one stage in England I was waiting in a bar for my teammates to come downstairs, but because everyone was up the street with Packer, they never came...
At that stage I think I had played nine Tests and was averaging 40 and you had other people who were barely Shield cricketers being called up by Packer.
[18]Cosier played in the second ODI, taking 5–18 with his medium pacers, but an Australian collapse meant they lost the game.
[43] Cosier did not play a test match on the tour, with David Hookes, Richie Robinson, Craig Serjeant and Kim Hughes all being preferred to him.
But we got to halfway through the tour and (captain) Greg Chappell came to me and said there was trouble at the top of the order and asked if I would like to open the batting in the county games.
He received a lucrative offer to play for Queensland and moved to Brisbane at the beginning of the summer.
[50] An injury meant he missed the second test, but he was back for the third, making 67 and 34, but being unable to prevent an Australian defeat.
When the Packer catchcry was "Lillee getting wickets and Hookesy clearing pickets" I felt that anyone who was coming to watch me play needed to be entertained.
[68] The second test he was put down the order and made 4 and 47; the latter was Australia's second highest score of that innings but by then Cosier had been dropped for Allan Border.
He said, "I guess though you could honestly say the relationship between Greg (Chappell) and myself, when he came back from World Series Cricket, and all of a sudden I was playing in Queensland with him, was difficult for a little while.
[84] He lived in Tangier for three years and managed Abdur Rahman Bukhatir's cricket and golf interests.