The monkey is off their backs, but the shackles which defined St George Illawarra's long-awaited run to the NRL premiership are to stay firmly in place for their title defence.

Former Test centre Matt Cooper said the Dragons would stick to what helped end a 31-year title drought in 2010, with the 80-minute grind which has been their calling card during coach Wayne Bennett's amazingly successful first two years at the helm to remain at the heart of their game plan.

The Dragons became the masters of wearing down opposition sides with a mixture of relentless defence and methodical attack, with many of their blowout wins coming with an avalanche of points late in games when their rivals simply couldn't keep up.

From the outside looking in, the risk-free approach to their attack was seemingly a result of the desperation to finally silence the knockers - but even with a premiership in the bag - Cooper said the Dragons would maintain their disciplined approach.

"I don't know about that," Cooper said when asked about the possibility of a more expansive game in 2011.

"We've shown what works the last two years. We'd have to see what Wayne's plans are in the new year but at the moment we're just concentrating on getting our bodies right, getting our minds right - the footy stuff will kick-in in the new year."

Cooper and the remainder of his Dragons teammates are already in the thick of pre-season training, with trainer Jeremy Hickmans showing no sign of taking it easy on the squad in the wake of their grand final triumph.

But unlike previous campaigns, Cooper said good vibes around the club had made the intense fitness sessions easier to take.

"Usually you come back to pre-season dreading the training and the break's not long enough, but this year I was keen to get back just to see all the boys and reminisce about the grand final," Cooper said.

"The monkey's off our back and you just felt that relief as soon as that siren went in the grand final.

"Everyone's in really good spirits, that pressure's been lifted off for a couple of months, but I'm sure once we get back to playing again we'll be favourites and we'll have to get back to the standard that we've put on the paddock the last two seasons."

The biggest question surrounding the Dragons' 2011 preparations remains unanswered, with Bennett yet to decide on his future beyond next year - the last of his three-year deal with the club.

The NRL's most successful coach said he would likely come to a decision over the off-season, with Cooper admitting the players were none the wiser as to Bennett's plans.

"Obviously Wayne hasn't made up his mind what he wants to do, it's a decision that will come hopefully before the season starts," Cooper said.

" ... obviously for the club and the players and the supporters we'd love to have him here as long as we could, but that's his decision."

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