Dyldam Parramatta Eels new recruit Cameron King has donned the Blue and Gold for the first time this week and the hooker was excited about the months ahead.
After getting straight into the 2016 pre-season alongside his new teammates, King was dedicated to ripping in and hoping to see the rest of his teammates doing the same.
“It feels good to pull on the new colours. It has been a tough week so far but everyone is buying in, ripping in and all the boys are going really good,” King said.
“I think we might be in for a tough one. Obviously every club is doing it this time of year, so we just need everyone to buy into it and so far everyone is doing that,” he said of the pre-season.
“It’s going to be a tough slog before Christmas but that’s just what we do.”
King, who previously played at the St George Illawarra Dragons and the North Queensland Cowboys spoke about making his move down south, re-uniting with some former teammates.
“I hurt my knee last year but played pretty much all of this year in the Q-Cup up there, but it’s good to get a full season under the belt and I’m really looking forward to my time down here,” King said of his 2015 season.
“There are a couple of boys here, Gowie and Normy I am pretty close with, so I spoke to them through the year when I was thinking of coming down and they couldn’t speak highly enough of the boys, the club and the coaching staff. I am really excited to be here and I can’t wait.”
King joins the Blue and Gold squad that currently has hookers Nathan Peats, Isaac De Gois and Kaysa Pritchard, but the new recruit was looking forward to the competitive challenge ahead.
Coming into a crucial stage of his career, King was focused on the next few weeks impressing his new teammates and staff.
“I don’t like to look too far ahead. Obviously being at a new club you want to come and impress and show the boys and the staff that you are going to work hard and do your best for the team,” King said.
“I have six weeks or so before Christmas to rip in and get to know everyone and do some hard work together.”
“I am sort of at that stage now where it is make or break, and we have good depth in all positions here, it’s a really good squad we have here, so I am looking forward to working on some combinations in the pre-season.”
And if the opportunity arises in 2016 to pull on the Blue and Gold jersey, King was looking forward to having the Blue and Gold Army cheering for him, rather than against him.
“I have heard really good things about the Blue and Gold,” King said.
“I have played against the Eels a few times and they are always loud and proud and the boys tell me they are pretty loyal so to play in front of them would be great.”
