FLASHY five-eighth Shaun Nona has backflipped on his decision to join the Townsville Blackhawks after securing an NRL contract with the Dragons for next season.

Nona was set to join the Cowboys feeder side in the Intrust Super Cup from 2017, but his deal had a release clause which would allow him to walk away if he secured a fulltime NRL position.

The Tully junior has spent time in the Melbourne Storm’s system before linking up with Dragons through the Illawarra Cutters last season, leading the Cutters to NRL State Championship glory against Burleigh.

Nona expressed a desire to return home to North Queensland to be closer to his family, but the departure of veteran playmaker Benji Marshall has created an opportunity in the halves at the Dragons.

Blackhawks operations manager Adrian Thomson confirmed that Nona would not be joining the club next season, but he said they were happy for the 26-year-old to follow his NRL dream.

“He’s verbally agreed to join the Dragons, but I take it as a matter of just signing the contract,” Thomson said.

“We’ve love to have had him in a Blackhawks jersey, but we wish him all the best.

“We’re very happy that he’s earnt a fulltime NRL contract. That’s what we’re all about and he’s following that dream.”

Nona’s versatility and experience would have been a huge asset for the Blackhawks who have also lost 2016 player of the year Jahrome Hughes after he signed a two-year NRL deal with the Storm.

Thomson admitted it would be tough to find another player of Nona’s calibre, but he said the Blackhawks were in no rush to secure a replacement.

“A quality player of that ilk playing at our level, there’s not a lot on the market,” Thomson said.

“We’ve still got a couple of options. We’ll scour around, but we’re pretty with our recruitment as it is.”