A TUMULTUOUS few months is firmly behind Temora, with the Group Nine club yesterday revealing it had secured the sought-after signature of ex-NRL star Michael Henderson.

Temora secretary Greg Matthews yesterday ended ongoing speculation of the identity of the Dragons' new captain-coach when he unveiled the stellar acquisition.

The news comes barely three weeks after rival Tumut was on the verge of securing Henderson for the coming season only for the prospective deal to blow up in the face of the Blues.

Rather than secure Henderson, Tumut was left empty handed and is still desperately searching for a new, high profile recruit to fill the coaching role vacated by Eric Smith.

Unbeknown to their Group Nine opponents, Temora has been in lengthy discussions with the robust front-rower since the establishment of the club's new committee last year.

The chase for Henderson followed the abrupt sacking of last year's coach Anthony Chambeyron with a year of his contract remaining.

"As soon as the new committee came into power, through different sources, we made contact with Michael," Matthews said.

"We never stopped negotiating with him and he has now accepted the offer that we brought to the table."

Matthews believes snaring Henderson, who retired from the NRL last year, is a huge step in the right direction for the club.

The club viewed a high-profile recruit as pivotal to a critical rejuvenation at the once powerful Group Nine club.

"We were chasing a player coach, and we didn't want to go back to the old ground hog days of doing the same thing in and out," Matthews said.

"We wanted someone with a really high profile so we are so happy to be welcoming Michael to the town."

The club successfully secured the employment of the 29-year-old Griffith-born forward, a driving factor behind landing Henderson's signature over Tumut.

The board is confident the former St George and Gold Coast star will be a "great role model" for the town's talented juniors and a positive influence on senior players.

"He is a great person; very down-to-earth, with a very good attitude," he said.

"He is moving here with his wife and young kids at the end of the month."

Under the guidance of Henderson, who played 120 NRL games during his career at elite level, Temora will commence pre-season training on January 28.