NRL hooker's hilarious last-ditch shot at new contract

Cameron King has taken an unconventional path as he bids to remain in the NRL next year.

The 27-year-old is without a deal after leaving Parramatta at the end of the 2018 season.

Searching for a fourth club following stints with St George Illawarra and North Queensland prior to a three-year stay at the Eels, King decided on Tuesday afternoon that it was time to use Twitter his agent:

He had announced his departure from Parramatta in September after 11 games in each of the past two seasons.

“(Brad Arthur) gave me a chance when my career was at standstill and for that I’ll be forever grateful,” King wrote.

“Wasn’t how I saw my time finishing here but unfortunately that’s the way it goes sometimes, which hurts.

“Not too sure what the next chapter looks like which is scary/exciting but I’m thankful to have been involved with the Parramatta Eels.”

King tweeted in October that he had resumed training after a few weeks off for a “mental freshen-up” after the Eels’ wooden-spoon season.

“Anyone who wants to give me a chance I’ll go there,” he told one fan during a Twitter question-and-answer session.

Quizzed by a Dragons supporter whether he would return to the club, King said: “I have a great relationship with Mary so who knows what could happen.”

NRL clubs push for AFL-style transfer window

A powerful faction of NRL clubs will on Wednesday begin a push to introduce a player transfer window.

The coaching carousel and proposed anti-tampering rules will be top of the agenda when the game’s governing body meets with all 16 club chief executives at NRL HQ.

However, there’s a belief within a group of clubs that coaches signing with rivals years in advance is the symptom of a deeper problem.

One CEO told AAP the root cause of the coaching merry-go-round was the fact players could sign with clubs a year out from their contract ending.

According to the club boss, who asked not to be named, instituting anti-tampering rules around coaches would only be a band-aid solution.

The only way to address it, he added, was to have an AFL-style transfer window.

They argue when a player begins negotiations one of their first questions asked is who will be coaching the team, leading clubs to shuffle mentors years in advance.

“Regulating the movement of coaching will only partially solve one issue,” the CEO told AAP.

“But the root cause of this is a lack of system or structure around the November 1 deadline.

“Until we institute a trade or transfer window, we’re going to see more and more of this speculation around players and coaches.”

FULL STORY: Clubs want significant change to NRL contracts