The brother of recent Canterbury Bulldogs recruit Connor Votano, Cooper, has signed a contract with the Newcastle Knights.
The 18-year-old has been a standout on his way through the grades, but left the Knights at the end of 2025 to join the Melbourne Storm pathways system.
His management have now confirmed he will return to the Knights for 2027 as he continues to progress, with the rising playmaker likely to play in the SG Ball Cup competition to start 2027 - the same competition that he played for the Storm during 2026.
A Central Coast product, Votano was always a key to retain for the Knights, and they were frustrated when they lost him to the Storm - as they were recently when brother Connor signed a two-year deal with the Canterbury Bulldogs.
The young fullback is further through his development and could be in line for a debut at NRL level during 2027.
While that won't be the case for Cooper, there is every chance he progresses to the NSW Cup by the end of 2027, with the Newcastle Knights looking to give as many opportunities to their talented youth as possible.
Cooper, who starred in the Knights' 2024 run to the Harold Matthews Cup grand final, was back in the Hunter by the end of the year, playing local footy for the Entrance Tigers as he continued his development.
The signing of Votano follows recent news broken by Zero Tackle that the Knights have locked down young talent Kade McKay, who has signed a three-year development contract from the start of 2027, despite still being in high school.
An impressive talent, McKay jumped from the Harold Matthews Cup to the Jersey Flegg Cup during 2026 and could start 2027 in the SG Ball program alongside the returning Votano.
