North Queensland Fury have persuaded Shane Stefanutto to return home, signing the Lyn Oslo defender on a three-year deal.

The 29-year-old has spent the last five years in Norway, and Fury coach Ian Ferguson was delighted to add the Australia international to his squad for Saturday's derby against Gold Coast United following their opening 3-2 defeat by Sydney FC.

"Shane's a Socceroo and it's fantastic that the club has been able to attract him. He'll provide some depth and stability at the back," Ferguson said.

"It's massive for the club - he brings experience from playing overseas in a high level of competition and Shane is the type of player who will play directly and move things forward rather than taking the momentum out of the game.

"When you bring in a player of Shane's stature, it's good for morale and gives us the lift we're looking for. That's not me being too down on the result against Sydney FC. There were some negatives, but there were also a lot of positives and we'll work on all areas this week.

"We've got some players to come back from injury who will be pressing for spots and its going to be harder for any of the boys to get a start with the talent in the group and the commitment they're showing."

Stefanutto has played twice for Australia, making his debut against China PR in 2007 and then featuring in the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ qualifier against Japan at the MCG in June.