It was only his first day of training, but North Queensland recruit Shaun Fensom is already proving his worth running through the Canberra Raiders' playbook with Cowboys coach Paul Green.
Fensom was squeezed out of the Green Machine due to salary cap pressure after he slipped down the pecking order in a talented Canberra pack.
But he said there were no hard feelings towards the club where he won an under-20s premiership before coming through the ranks to win back-to-back Mal Meninga Medals.
Fensom signed a two-year deal with the Cowboys on Friday and had moved to Townsville by Monday, where his first assignment could be playing against the his old club on Saturday.
He was unsure what his role would be, but would do whatever Green asked of him.
That included spilling the beans on the Raiders' playbook - although don't tell them that.
"I'll give [Green] a few tips, I know all the plays, I know all the calls. I spoke to him last night about a couple of them," Fensom said.
"I won't give too much away to the cameras right here as the Raiders might know, but I'll definitely let them know what all the plays are."
The Raiders had plenty of options in Fensom's position of lock, with Sia Soliola, Luke Bateman, Joe Tapine and Dave Taylor all able to play there.
He admitted last year was tough when he slipped down the pecking order, but "that's footy" and he held no grudge towards his old club.
His move to North Queensland came just days after former Canberra winger Edrick Lee moved to Cronulla.
Fensom tossed up going to England, but wanted to remain in Australia.
He said it would be surreal, but also exciting, to line up against the Green Machine on the weekend.
"It was tough, but that's footy and I had to deal with that in the best way possible. I couldn't let that get me down and just had to keep putting my front foot forward," Fensom said.
"This is a very good opportunity for me and I'm going to take it with both hands.
"[There are] no hard feelings. Footy's footy and these things happen a lot throughout a player's career. I've got no hard feelings at all."
One of the men who leap-frogged Fensom, Luke Bateman said it would be weird to line-up against the man he was training alongside just a week ago.
He knew one thing he wouldn't do if Fensom does get picked in the Cowboys' XVII - take the tackling machine on.
"I'm not sure if he'll be playing or not, but if he does play then it will definitely be weird," Bateman said.
"Coming through the lower grades he was always a staple of the team here so to see him in different colours will definitely be a weird thing and to play against him is definitely a weird thought.
"I probably know his strengths and weaknesses. Don't run at him, that's for sure."
NRL ROUND ONE
Saturday: Canberra Raiders v North Queensland Cowboys at Townsville, 7pm. Live on Fox Sports 2.
