By Dave Parkinson.
Proud Ireland prop George King will lead Ireland at the Rugby League World Cup.
The former Warrington man, 27, and now playing well at Hull Kingston Rovers, is approaching 200 professional games having also represented Wakefield Trinity, Rochdale Hornets, and North Wales Crusaders since his first-team debut in 2014. He also has ten Irish caps to his name and an excellent return of five tries.
Speaking fondly of his Irish heritage King said, “I’ve got some Irish family over here and some of my closest friends are Irish. My family is from Wexford and Wicklow and my partner has family in Leenaun as well.”
Reflecting on his selection George added, “It’s a truly remarkable honour. I’m so thankful to Ged (Corcoran) and Joe (O’Callaghan) for picking me as captain of such a vastly experienced group of lads. I’ve been on this journey with Rugby League Ireland for a few years now and it means so much to me every time I pull the shirt on and represent my country and my proud family over in Ireland. It truly makes me feel so special being able to do it and I’ve learned off many past captains at Ireland and I can’t wait to get the ball rolling!”
“I want to get out there amongst the lads. On and off the field I’ve learned a lot, not just from good captains here at Ireland but in club rugby, I’ve learned a lot, and if I can just pass an ounce of what I’ve learned from them and hopefully see somebody else progress and become captain one day, I’m happy to do that.
“It is truly special and when these games come around it always brings a special memory. My family fly over to watch the games and they watch me over in Ireland. It’s really good.”
Asked about what sort of captain he aims to be, King answered thoughtfully. “Well, I certainly like to lead by example on and off the field and lead in my actions in the way I’m doing things, just being a hard worker and being honest and being passionate about what it means to be here and letting that rub off on the lads. There isn’t just one captain, everyone is a captain and everyone has a leadership role to play.”
Speaking of his new captain, Ireland Head coach Ged Corcoran said, “George was an obvious choice. He’s so professional in everything that he does and is a really good person too. When we have had players fly over in the past, George and his family have always helped. I’d describe him as a real countryman and can’t wait to see him have an even greater influence on our group.”
The Rugby League World Cup is set to take place across England in October and November with Ireland being drawn in Group C which will see them go up against New Zealand, Lebanon and Jamaica.
Their first game will take place against Jamaica on Sunday 16th October at Headingley Stadium, Leeds, kick-off 5.00pm.
The other groups line up as follows:
Group A: England, Samoa, France, Greece
Group B: Australia, Fiji, Scotland, Italy
Group D: Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Wales, Cook Islands
