Controversial forward Willie Mason has signed with Newcastle through to the end of the 2012 NRL season.

The former Australian representative, who has also played with Canterbury, Sydney Roosters and North Queensland, agreed to a short-term deal on Wednesday.

“We’ve signed Willie for the rest of the year,” Knights CEO Matt Gidley told the Newcastle Herald.

“I spoke with (coach) Wayne (Bennett) at length about this, like we do with most players we look to sign, and we weighed up the strengths and weaknesses and we both agreed that we’re comfortable with offering Willie an opportunity with us for the remainder of this year.”

Mason will begin training with the Knights on Thursday and could play for the Newcastle NSW Cup team against the Illawarra Cutters this weekend.

The 32-year-old last played in the NRL in 2010.

He played six English Super League games for Hull Kingston Rovers before being cut just six months into a three-year contract.

Switching codes to join French rugby union club Toulon last season, he ended up only playing in two pre-season trials and one Top 14 premiership game.

Mason has played 24 Tests for Australia and 13 NSW State of Origin matches and, in his prime, was considered one of the most damaging ball runners in the game.

But he also attracted his share of controversy and was involved in a number of off-field incidents.

After a scratchy 3-4 start to the season, the Knights, who have a solid backline set-up, were keen to bolster their forward stocks.