Manly have signed outside back Matthew Wright from NRL premiers North Queensland.

Wright has been released from his contract with the Cowboys and will join the Sea Eagles this weekend.

He has 96 appearances in the NRL.

The former Cronulla player has put pen to paper for the next three years.

Coach Trent Barrett says the 25-year-old will be an outstanding addition at Brookvale.

“Matthew is a quality player who can easily play fullback, wing, centre and five-eighth,” Barrett said on Friday.

“When he became available, we didn’t hesitate to sign him.

“He has played almost 100 first-grade games and his experience and utility value will be of enormous value to us. We look forward to welcoming him to the club.”

While the Sea Eagles are without injured winger Jorge Taufua in the short term, their backline is hardly short on talent and it may well be a question of exactly where Barrett decides to use Wright.

The equation gets more complicated with the expected return of star half Daly Cherry-Evans next weekend along with utility Tim Moltzen.