Born in Huddersfield but raised in Australia from the age of seven, Canterbury Bulldogs forward Max King is set to represent England for the first time at the Rugby League World Cup, fulfilling a dream he feared had passed him by.
Max King has spent much of his life on the other side of the world, but England has never been far from his thoughts.
The Bulldogs forward was born and raised in Huddersfield before moving to Australia with his family at the age of seven. Since then, he has established himself as one of the best front rowers in the NRL, and represented New South Wales in all three State of Origin matches in 2025.
Now, King is preparing for a different kind of challenge. Having been called up to England’s squad for the Rugby League World Cup, the 29-year-old is finally getting the chance to represent his country of birth and his mother’s heritage.
For King, it is a moment years in the making — and one he was not always convinced would happen.
“I remember being there as a seven-year-old,” he said of his early life in Yorkshire. “I've been back and forth a number of times seeing my mum's side of the family.”
Despite growing up in a region better known for its football, rugby league was firmly part of the King family’s identity.
His father spent much of his playing career with Huddersfield Giants, while his grandfather was a devoted Leeds Rhinos supporter. King grew up attending Rhinos matches and has continued to follow both Yorkshire clubs from afar during his years in Australia.
“I grew up around league,” he explained. “My grandfather was a Leeds Rhino tragic. Obviously, my old boy was playing for the Giants most of his career.
“I've always supported from afar the Rhinos and the Giants and kept in touch while I can. I think it's a cool moment for me and it's a special moment for my family as well, being able to represent myself and my heritage.”
The move to Australia at seven meant leaving Yorkshire behind at a young age, and King soon found himself adapting to a new school, a new culture and a new accent.
His thick Yorkshire voice quickly became a talking point among his Australian classmates, prompting him to pick up the local slang and try to fit in.
“When I first moved to Australia, I had a really thick accent,” he recalled. “There weren't many English people, so everyone always used to take the mickey out of my accent.
“I remember the first week I was just trying to copy all the Aussie slang and the accent. I tried to get rid of it as quick as I could because it was a bit of a teasing point.”
The accent may have faded, but his connection to England remained — and the World Cup was a target he had set himself long before this year's call-up.
King revealed that he had written his international ambition on a sticky note in 2022, placing it somewhere he would see it every day. He wanted to represent England at that year's World Cup, but the opportunity did not materialise.
Eventually, he began to think the dream might have passed him by.
“I thought from there that it just wasn't going to happen,” he said.
That changed when England coach Brian McDermott contacted him this year to discuss the possibility of joining the squad.
The call caught King by surprise. His focus had been on his club career in Australia, and he admitted he had not even been thinking about the World Cup at that stage.
But the opportunity immediately reignited the ambition he had carried for years.
“When he called me, it took me by surprise a bit because I wasn't sure if that boat had sailed,” King said.
“It didn't take a whole lot of convincing, to be honest. That dream that I had was reignited. I got off the phone with him and I was just buzzing.
“I'm just sort of grateful to be here and the way things have played out. And I'm grateful for the phone call because I wasn't sure it was going to happen.”
King's selection also brings together two important parts of his life. Having represented New South Wales at the highest level of Australian rugby league, he will now have the chance to wear the St Georges Cross on the international stage.
For his family, the occasion carries particular significance. His Australian father has been just as delighted by the selection as his English mother, who King said became emotional at the news.
“My mum was quite emotional, but they're my parents and they've always been supportive of me,” he said.
“It's a big honour for me. I love representing my family, but I think the biggest honour is for me and myself.”
That sense of personal achievement is central to King's excitement. While his Yorkshire roots and family connections have helped shape his journey, the opportunity to represent England is something he has wanted for himself.
And despite spending more than two decades in Australia, he has already begun to feel at home among his new international team-mates.
King admitted that most of the squad were strangers to him when he arrived in camp. Although he had faced some of them in the NRL, he had rarely spent time getting to know them away from the field.
That unfamiliarity has quickly disappeared, with the forward praising the welcome he has received and the bonds being formed ahead of the tournament.
He also believes the culture of English rugby league has a distinctive quality, something his father experienced during his own playing career in Super League.
“I remember asking my dad a couple of months ago what the difference was,” King said. “The biggest thing he said was just the English culture, the mateship, having your back.
“He said, 'I've got mates from footy in Australia, but the blokes I played with in England, they were mates for the rest of my life.' He still speaks to them to this day.
“That really inspired me, and I feel like it's been nothing short of that since being in camp. The boys, I couldn't fault them. They're great to get along with.”
The strength and physicality of his new team-mates have also made an impression. Having spent his career competing in the NRL, King arrived in camp with plenty of experience against elite level competition, but he has been struck by the size and power within the England squad.
“I rocked up to the airport and I felt like a 12-year-old kid again,” he said. “There's some big blokes.”
After taking part in a wrestling session with the squad, he was equally impressed by the physical edge of the English players.
“Just that English hard-nut strength — you're like, wow, they're a different breed. It's great to play alongside that.”
King hopes that strength, combined with the team's growing camaraderie, can help England make an impression on the tournament. He is also eager to challenge perceptions of Super League players, believing that the competition's quality can sometimes be overlooked in Australia, where the NRL dominates the conversation.
For a player whose own journey has taken him from Huddersfield to the top level of the Australian game, the World Cup represents a chance to bring those different rugby league worlds together.
His faith has also been a constant throughout that journey. King described it as a source of stability during the highs and lows of professional sport, and said it helped him remain patient when his original World Cup ambition went unrealised.
“I think that's the cool thing and the cool journey that I've been on with my relationship with God,” he said. “Even through the disappointments, four years later, here I am and I get to live out this experience.”
As he prepares for the tournament, King is determined to make the most of the opportunity, regardless of where England's campaign takes him.
His priority is clear: to wear the shirt with pride and help the team enjoy a successful World Cup.
“I'm just happy to wear the badge, and represent myself, my heritage and my country,” he said.
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