Now with a regular starting spot in the number 10 jersey, nib Newcastle Knights forward Josh King says it’s given his confidence a major boost.
“For my confidence, the starts have been heaps better for me,” King explained.
“Starting was another challenge for me to take on, but so far I’ve been happy with how I’m going and how I’ve been developing.
“From this time last year, I am miles infront of where I was so I think I’ve just got to keep ticking away and getting the job done.”
The 21-year-old said especially in the last five to six games, he’s been feeling significantly more comfortable out on the field.
“I have been trying to focus on my carries and get a few more metres up the middle,” King commented.
“It is coming along slowly but I’ll just keep working on it each week.”
The young forward maintains last week was one of his better performances in the win against the St George Illawarra Dragons.
“Every week there seems to be something else to work on and that is something I am finding,” he said.
“I just keep coming out here and training to work on those things and get better each week.
“It's always special when we get a win, they are few and far between, especially in front of that home crowd, it was unbelievable and something I can’t explain.”
The Knights take on the New Zealand Warriors this Saturday for their Round 22 clash, with King thankful it’s again on home soil.
“Playing at home in front of our home crowd, that’s a big thing for us but at the same time even with Shaun Johnson, one of their big names out, they still have a very solid pack,” King explained.
“They have got quite a sizeable pack and their back five bringing them up through the middle.
“It is a big test for us this weekend and it would be great if we could go back-to-back so we’re really working hard towards that this weekend.
“I think we’ve got a lot of heart out there on the field and we really aim up when we’ve got a good challenge ahead of us.”
And while some are considering the Knights favourites this weekend, King said they haven’t thought too much about it.
“Every week it is a new challenge for us being a young squad and we have our own things to work on so we try and stay away from the favourites tag,” cited King.
“Every team wants to win and it’s one of the hardest competitions in the world so I don’t think we’re more motivated, we’ve got a lot to prove ourselves.
“We want to show that we can play footy and we are a developing team so it’s going to be a good test for us.
“We are focusing on consistency and everyone playing to the best of their ability.”
The Knights take on the Warriors for Retro Round this Saturday at McDonald Jones Stadium, NYC kick-off at 12.45pm before NRL at 3pm.
