Fensom leaves Raiders in Cowboys NRL deal

Feb 24, 2017 - 7:47 AM North Queensland have signed experienced Canberra forward Shaun Fensom, less than a week out from the start of the 2017 NRL season.

The 28-year-old back-rower - after eight seasons with the Raiders - has agreed to a two-year deal and is expected to begin training on Monday with the Cowboys.

In a twist, Fensom will be available for North Queensland's opening-round match at home on Saturday week (March 4) against Canberra.

Cowboys general manager football Peter Parr said, with 139 first-grade games, the club were getting a quality, proven player.

"He's a very good player and also very experienced," Parr said. "With the loss last year of James Tamou and Ben Hannant, we have lost a bit of experience, so he ticks a couple of boxes there.

"He has come to us late in the piece and we were well prepared to go with the squad we had put in place this season.

"But we were clear that if an opportunity arose to sign a quality player, then we would pursue that and Shaun Fensom is a quality player. He plays in a position where we think we need to add some depth."

Source: AAP