Rookie prop Josh King changing into his hi-vis gear and work boots, before driving an hour to clock on for another shift as an apprentice electrican at Bulga Coal mine, near Broke.

These days life is slightly more relaxed for the down-to-earth 21-year-old.

He has switched to full-time training, almost completed his trade apprenticeship and is working casually as a domestic “sparky”, just to “keep my mind ticking over”.

Rather than driving to and from Singleton each day, he stays in Newcastle during the week and returns to his home town to spend time with his parents on the weekends. 

“Now that I’ve got a bit more time to rest, and I don’t have to back it up with going to work, I’ve noticed I have a bit more time to myself,’’ he said. “But I think I’ll probably really see the difference once the season starts. If we play on a Sunday, and I don’t have to get up at 5.30am and go to work on the Monday, hopefully there’ll be a bit less fatigue.’’

Not that King regrets for one instant the juggling act of last season. He is just grateful for the support of his family and former employers for helping him cope with the logistics.

“Some days, all I wanted to do was lay on the lounge,’’ he said. “But I had a lot of support. Mum and Dad, making my meals and washing my clothes.

“My boss was awesome about helping me fit work in with football. I wouldn’t have been able to do it on my own, that’s for sure. But that’s just what you’ve got to do, I guess. That’s life. It’s my choice that I wanted to do that.

“I just had to put in the hard yards and get it done.’’

Starting with a daunting debut in Brisbane, in which the Knights suffered a 53-0 hammering, the Singleton Greyhounds junior played in 12 NRL games, earning a contract extension until the end of 2018 for his efforts.

Mainly used off the bench, he averaged 57.2 metres in attack and 20.8 tackles per game. He hopes the experience he gained in tough circumstances – he is still waiting to celebrate his first win – will stand him in good stead this season.

“As a young guy, I’ve only played 12 first-grade games and I’m still looking to develop,’’ he said. “That’s my main goal, to keep on improving and moving up the ranks.

“But obviously my goal this year is to play as many or more games as I did last year. So I’m just trying to cement a spot in the 17.”