Banished Dragons hero in talks to end 'bitter' feud

NRL fable Matt Cooper is successful discussions with newly-appointed Dragons manager Shane Flanagan to articulation the squad successful a ceremonial coaching capacity, Wide World of Sports tin reveal.

The 44-year-old, who volition combat arsenic portion of Stan's exclusive pay-per-view 'Battle connected the Reef' bout, has confirmed a reunion with the nine is connected the cards up of the 2024 season.

Cooper, a Dragons lifer who played astir 250 first-grade matches successful the Red V, has been an outcast astatine the nine aft a falling retired successful the twilight of his league career.

READ MORE: Panthers' three-peat chances rocked by Luai injury

READ MORE: Spanish shot president acceptable to discontinue implicit World Cup saga

READ MORE: Mundine says Latrell, Walker 'deserve' bigger say

His issues with the nine stemmed from its then-CEO Peter Doust who offered him a occupation that ne'er eventuated. 

Cooper snubbed a 10-year premiership reunion to debar further friction, which ironically led to much disapproval directed astatine the NRL veteran.

Matt Cooper, pictured successful 2010, won the NRL Premiership with the St George Illawara Dragons. (Getty)

Now, caller dialog betwixt Cooper and Flanagan could spot the brace unite successful a bid to marque the Dragons a apical 8 squad again.

"I'm having conversations with Flanno astir possibly helping retired adjacent year, which would beryllium large due to the fact that I deliberation tin assistance the extracurricular backs, particularly successful defence," Cooper told Wide World of Sports.

Watch each the enactment from 'Battle connected the Reef' connected October 7. Available to ticker via pay-per-view unrecorded and exclusively connected Stan

"That was my specialty. They utilized to telephone maine the champion antiaircraft centre successful the crippled and I deliberation I tin truly assistance the guys out, truthful hopefully I'm progressive adjacent year."

Cooper said an nonstop sanction for the relation hasn't been decided connected yet but an assignment would "probably hap successful the adjacent 2 months".

Shane Flanagan was promoted from adjunct to caput manager of the Dragons successful 2023. (Ian Hitchcock via Getty Images)

In immoderate case, the erstwhile typical prima is acceptable to hide the hatchet and assistance pb the nine backmost towards being an NRL powerhouse again.

"When I retired from the Dragons, I near the nine connected atrocious terms. It was conscionable 1 idiosyncratic and I emotion the nine that overmuch wherever I'm consenting to enactment that speech and effort and assistance the nine – truthful hopefully I tin beryllium determination successful immoderate ceremonial capacity," said Cooper.

"I emotion the nine truthful overmuch that what happened is not worthy being bitter and being an outsider of the nine due to the fact that I privation to beryllium progressive successful the nine due to the fact that I emotion it truthful much. 

"The nine was a portion of my beingness – 18 years. I would emotion to enactment things speech and assistance retired the players."

This play has been disappointing for the Dragons, who languish successful 16th presumption connected the ladder with 2 rounds remaining.

With 5 wins from 22 games, it's a grim world for a squad that past won the contention successful 2010.

Stream the NRL premiership 2023 unrecorded and escaped on 9Now

Hunt apt to stay astatine Dragons

The club's starring effort scorer said the squad has the imaginable to beryllium a contender again nether Flanagan.

"It has been disappointing. The team's played a fewer bully games. The disruption with manager and conscionable everything down the scenes hasn't helped," said Cooper.

"I deliberation present that we've got Flanno arsenic the coach, I deliberation he's going to bash wonders for the squad and I deliberation adjacent twelvemonth a batch of radical are going to beryllium amazed however good the Dragons are going to beryllium adjacent year.

"They've got the players to bash it. They conscionable request the manager to enslaved that squad and I deliberation Flanno is the antheral to bash that. 

"He's won a expansive last with the Sharks. He knows what he's doing and I'm excited to spot however they spell adjacent twelvemonth due to the fact that I emotion the club. I played astatine that nine my full career. I gave everything for that, for that club. 

"I privation the Dragons to beryllium astatine their champion due to the fact that erstwhile I was playing astatine the Dragons, we were astir apt 1 of the astir feared sides, I privation that backmost for the Dragons, I privation that backmost for the nine and I deliberation we're gonna bash it."