Whitehaven sign Australian forward

Whitehaven have announced the first member of their 2021 squad, in the shape of Australian forward Ryan King.

The 23-year-old has been part of the Sydney Roosters and Cronulla Sharks junior systems down under and has been a prominent feature in the reserve grade leagues in recent years.

He will be looking to make his mark in League 1, and will be aiming for a shot at World Cup rugby, having been named in the Italy train-on squad ahead of next Autumn’s competition.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of playing football in a different country,” King said. “I’ve a couple of friends that have played in the competition with other clubs and they’ve always said how strong the competition is. When the opportunity came I didn’t really think about it, I just said yes straight away.”

Whitehaven head coach Gary Charlton added: “I’m delighted to have got Ryan’s signature. He is a big lad with a bit of pace and has a good step. He can bend his back and has come through some good systems and played at a decent level.

“We look forward to seeing him arrive for pre season. I’d like to thank the Vice Presidents for helping us to be able to bring Ryan over.”