King a lesson in patience
CAMERON King’s long wait for an NRL game is a lesson for all aspiring rugby league players, Parramatta coach Brad Arthur says.
King will end a 733-day exodus from first grade tonight when he starts in the No.9 jumper for the Eels’ crucial clash against Canterbury.
Arthur said he had wanted to give the 25-year-old a shot last year but the club’s hands were tied because of salary cap problems that resulted in a lost season.
“He’s been waiting for 18 months now at our club,”
Arthur said.
“At stages at the end of last year we could’ve made a case to give him a run but because of where we’re at with the salary cap, we weren’t able to.”
King made his NRL debut at St George Illawarra in 2010 but has been limited to just 21 matches in stints at the Dragons and North Queensland.
He made just four appearances for the Cowboys in 2014-15 before arriving at the Eels.
“He’s had a lot of injuries and it just shows to any young footballer if they persist and keep working hard, at some stage the time will come,” Arthur said.