And as the former Newcastle Knights prop prepares to move interstate to begin his two-season stint with Melbourne Storm, his ingrained work ethic should come in handy.

Not only are the Storm notorious for whipping their players into shape with brutal pre-seasons, but coach Craig Bellamy introduced a program many years ago whereby the club's new recruits are required to labour on building sites for two weeks, while continuing to train.

King was unsure if that policy was still in practice, given the complexities of Melbourne's coronavirus restrictions.

But given that King spent his debut season with the Knights juggling football commitments with his apprenticeship as an electrician at Bulga coal mine near Singleton, he would appear to have nothing to fear.

"It's not a big deal to me," King told the Newcastle Herald.

"It's been a while since I had another job separate from football, but I've done it before and it's nothing to be afraid of.

"I suppose it could be challenging if you were new in the NRL and it's your first pre-season.

"But it's just a matter of getting into a routine and if they ask me to do it, I'll be right to go."

After 78 games for the Knights, King has come to terms with the fact that he won't be wearing the blue and red next season.

"I've been organising the move and packing up the house, so I have come to the realisation that I'm leaving," he said.

"I'll always think of Newcastle as my home town, and I'm appreciative of every opportunity the Knights have given me, but this was the right decision for me and I'm excited about what lies ahead."

Related content:

King said that he felt "flattered" when the Storm first expressed interest in signing him, but at the same time he was torn because of his allegiance to Knights teammates like Daniel and Jacob Saifiti, Lachlan Fitzgibbon and Mitch Barnett, alongside whom he has played his entire NRL career.

"It was hard to walk away from that, for sure," King said.

"There's not just a lot of talented players at the Knights, but some of them are my best mates.

"So it was a tough decision, but for me, moving to Melbourne is a chance to develop my game and keep improving.

"I think I'm still a fair way from my ceiling and hopefully I can go down there, learn from a great coach like Craig Bellamy and players like Jesse Bromwich, and become a better player.

"It was just an opportunity I couldn't pass up."

For the past few weeks, King has been packing his belongings before departing for Melbourne in early November.

"I didn't realise how much there was to do," King said. "But it's exciting."

IN THE NEWS:

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: