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Working as a carpenter upon returning to Australia, North Queensland's latest signing Brendan Elliot believed he'd get another shot at the NRL some day.

Working as a carpenter in Sydney just a fortnight ago, Brendan Elliot now has a chance to rebuild his rugby league career.

The football journeyman has signed on for his fifth NRL side since debuting in the competition in 2014, linking up with North Queensland for 2022 in a one-year deal.

The 28-year old comes to the Cowboys after a stint in the English Super League with the Leigh Centurions, the utility looking to add to his 66 NRL games.

"It's always been like a blessing that I can play a variety of different positions in the backline, and I think that adds to my personal game and I think that's one of the reasons why the Cowboys have offered the contract," Elliot said on Thursday.

Plugging away as a carpenter over the Sydney summer following his UK stint, Elliot said getting back into football was just another thing he'd have to cope with.

"It's a bit of a mental adjustment, I suppose. Going over there - I didn't have my family or anything with me," he said.

"It was great and I had a great experience over there but in saying that, I missed my family and I missed my partner and things like that. That was tough."

The 28-year-old brings added depth to a Cowboys roster that looks to have good backline coverage.

And while he admits he's not in full game shape yet, Elliot knows spots are up for grabs come round one.

"I tried to keep myself in the best possible shape but I've got a little bit to go before I catch up to these boys," he said.

"But I'm going to work quite hard and try and get myself in a position to be ready to play.

"I'm very excited for the opportunity and I'm looking forward to it."