I first noted King's name after a NSW Cup semi-final at Leichhardt Oval in 2015, attended by incoming Newcastle coach Nathan Brown.

Brown said afterwards that "the young kid King was pretty close to the best player on the field", which was enough to earn the rookie front-rower an invitation to train with Newcastle's top squad during the ensuing pre-season.

Six months later I was at Suncorp Stadium when the 20-year-old came off the bench to make his top-grade debut, against Brisbane Broncos.

The result was a shocker for the Knights, a 53-0 hammering, but that mattered little to King, who was still pinching himself after living out his childhood dream.

"I'm just stoked I was able to be out there, making my debut,'' he told me after the game.

"To grow up watching those guys, and try to model my game on them a little bit, it was a real honour to be out on the same field.''

King's only concern was whether he would make it to work on Monday, after flight problems threatened briefly to leave the Knights stranded in Brisbane for an extra night.

At the time, King was an apprentice electrician at Bulga coal mine in the Hunter Valley, and in that first season he juggled early shifts on the tools with training commitments and a dozen NRL appearances.

I can't imagine there are many players in the NRL these days turning up for training in hi-vis kit and dusty mining boots, but King said he was "really lucky" to be able to complete his apprenticeship.

"My boss has been awesome about helping me fit work in with football," he said.

"Playing in the NRL is my dream, but it doesn't last forever and it's important to something else to fall back on, and fortunately I love my job.''

Four years down the track, that last sentence seems rather poignant as King ponders an uncertain future with the Knights.

NRL clubs were last week required to submit provisional squads for the 2021 season, and King's name did not feature in Newcastle's top 25.

All clubs need to have 29 contracted players in place by March next year, and the final spot in their top 30 must be filled by June 30.

The Knights haven't given up on re-signing King, or hooker Chris Randall for that matter, either.

But they are still trying to work through logistics like the second-tier salary cap, all of which has been complicated by the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Until it is confirmed how many teams will be playing in the NSW Cup and how the long the season will run, clubs can only estimate their budget.

Meanwhile, King and Randall are in limbo, although perhaps this week's news that Sione Mata'autia has been released might free up funds and improve their chances.

If the Knights can't find a spot for King, it would be no surprise if there was interest from rival clubs. Indeed, it was only a couple of years ago that master coach Wayne Bennett was reportedly keen to lure him to Brisbane.

Like Newcastle, however, the other 15 clubs have largely filled their rosters and are expected to be selective in choosing their remaining recruits.

King would be the first to admit that he does not expect to be regularly picked if the Knights are at full strength.

Daniel Saifiti and David Klemmer are arguably the standout front-row pairing in the NRL, and possibly Newcastle's finest since the halcyon days of Mark Sargent and Paul Harragon.

Jacob Saifiti is the next middle forward picked by coach Adam O'Brien, and even after the departures of Herman Ese'ese (Gold Coast) and Tim Glasby (retirement), the Knights have high hopes for young tyros Pasami Saulo and Jirah Momoisea.

Still, they say you can never have too many front-rowers, and King has been an ideal back-up for Newcastle over the past five seasons.

In that time, he has strung together 60 games and never once shirked his duty. At 1.87 metres and 105 kilograms, he doesn't take a backward step against opponents who outweigh him by 20kg.

Moreover, the Singleton junior is passionate about the club and the town and popular and respected among his teammates.

Players like King have been just as important in Newcastle's history as the highly paid superstars.

For every Andrew Johns and Kalyn Ponga hogging the headlines and earning top-end salaries, there have been countless blue-collar battlers getting vital jobs done with a minimum of fuss.

Blokes like Glenn Miller, Peter Johnston, Paul Marquet, Zeb Taia and Matt Hilder, whose true value was best appreciated by the men who stood alongside them, in the trenches.

These type of players are artisans rather than craftsmen, but they're not inclined to let you down when the going gets tough.

Of course, O'Brien faces an unenviable dilemma in trying to assemble a squad, a process that inevitably leaves some disappointed.

"I wish I could keep them all," O'Brien told me recently.

If only it was that easy.