Eddy Petybourne's long rugby league career is set to continue until at least the end of 2023 after he signed with third-tier English side the Keighley Cougars.
It will be the tenth club the Christchurch-born forward has been signed to during his career.
Beginning his career way back in 2007, Pettybourne played 91 games for the South Sydney Rabbitohs until 2012 when he left the club. A former Australian Schoolboy representative in 2005, he was a highly rated combo forward who could play in the middle or on the edge.
Handed a debut at just 19 years of age, Pettybourne was a solid performer before leaving Redfern, bound for the Wests Tigers where he played 12 games in 2013.
That was followed with a move to Wigan in England during 2014, bringing with it 18 English Super League games, before he returned to the Titans. He originally signed a one-year deal for 2015, then added two years to his time at Robina, winding up at the club at the end of 2017 with another 34 games to his name.
It would be the last time Pettybourne featured in the NRL, with a total of 137 games to his name in the competition.
He has since gone on to play for Toulouse Olympique, the Villeneuve Leopards (where he was a captain-coach) and the Limoux Grizzlies, having recently guided the French outfit to the second-tier final in that nation.
He has also signed for Brooklyn in the North America Rugby League competition, however, that competition never made it off the ground.
His contract will see him remain with Keighley until at least the end of 2023, and head of rugby league Andrew Henderson said he was delighted by the experience he will bring to the club.
โEddy is a player we feel will bring undoubted quality both as a player and a person to this team,โ said Henderson.
โHis experience and hunger to achieve will help give the squad fresh energy to keep pushing forward in the second half of the season.
โI firmly believe Eddy will add great value with his leadership qualities both on and off the field and enhance what is already a strong group.
โOur forward pack is really delivering at present, however, having Eddy arrive now at a crucial stage of the season will not only strengthen our pack, add competition for places but challenge the performance levels to rise again.
โWe welcome Eddy and his family to the club and look forward to him playing his part in what we have set out to achieve.โ
