Bulldogs boss Phil Gould is open to return of club legend Josh Reynolds

Bulldogs boss Phil Gould has revealed that he has had conversations with club cult hero Josh Reynolds on a potential return to the club.

Reynolds left the club in 2017 and has since joined the English Super League with outfit Hull but has struggled for consistent game time with just 25 games in two seasons.

The 33-year-old spent seven years at the Canterbury side becoming a fan favourite a the club in the process.

However, Phil Gould quickly denied any rumours that Reynolds would be rejoining the club claiming they had only been in discussions about the former player assisting in the junior league and community programs.

Despite initially denying the rumours, it seems the Bulldogs' General Manager has had a change of heart since meeting with Reynolds over the weekend.

"He's raised the issue of whether or not he might train through the off-season and see whether or not he was ready to play.

"He'd like to do something with the young blokes and provide a bit of mentorship and leadership around the club.

"Having a really respected old Bulldog might be handy for us, but I said I would speak to the head coach and have him speak with Josh. 

"I'm very protective of senior players as to whether or not they're doing the right thing or wrong thing by wanting to play. I understand his passion for it.

"There's no problem with giving him an off-season training and [see] how he feels, but I'll run it by Cameron Ciraldo."

Cameron Ciraldo is set to take over the NRL side as head coach at the end of the season, having previously coached the Italian national team and as an assistant coach at the Penrith Panthers.

While Gould believes Reynolds has a future at the Canterbury-Bankstown team, he says it's up to Ciraldo as to whether that future is on the field.

Gould continued: “I think commercially and junior league-wise there is something that he can do for the Bulldogs, and he's been talking to the commercial team about that for some time.

"I think there could be a dual sort of role...but what he wants to do is, at least this summer, train with the players and see how he feels.

"It's a long time since he's played NRL football and the game has certainly changed over the last four or five seasons and I want to be protective of him.

"He's very passionate, he's very resilient, he's very tough and he's an old Bulldog. I never shut the door on anyone, but that will be the coach's call down the track."