Nene Macdonald has secured a release from St George Illawarra to join North Queensland on a three-year NRL deal.
The winger will help fill the hole left by outside backs Kane Linnett, Antonio Winterstein and Lachlan Coote in Townsville.
After a strong season which saw him play a part in the Dragons' run to the semi-finals, the Cairns product was lured home to Queensland's north as part of the Cowboys' outside back recruitment drive.
"He's a North Queensland kid and we like North Queenslanders representing this region," Cowboys coach Paul Green said.
"Nene is going to offer plenty of depth to our backline and had a fantastic year for the Dragons.
"I know him on a personal level after coaching him in the under 20s at the Roosters and am confident he will be a good cultural fit for our club as well."
He was contracted to the Dragons on a one-year deal but the club agreed to release him to take up a more lucrative offer.
Macdonald joins fullback Ben Barba and Brisbane centre Tom Opacic as the Cowboys' recruits for 2019.
MacDonald has played 91 games for the Sydney Roosters, Gold Coast and Dragons since debuting in 2014 as well as playing nine Tests for Papua New Guinea.
To plug the gap left by Macdonald's departure, the Dragons have signed Brisbane's Jonus Pearson and Mikaele Ravalawa from Canberra.
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