BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - MAY 24: Jason King is wrapped up by the defence of team mate Beau Scott during a New South Wales Blues State of Origin training session at Suncorp Stadium on May 24, 2011 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Former Northern Eagles and Manly forward Jason King is understood to have stepped into the top job within the NRL's Integrity Unit.

King has been an employee at the NRL for the past eight years, having held roles in the organisation's commercial and competitions branches in recent years.

With Integrity Unit personnel Joe Collins and Karyn Murphy departing their roles, King is now set to take on a leading role within the NRL in looking over the player behaviour, salary cap assessment, legal matters and more.

“It’s an exciting opportunity to work closely with Andrew (Abdo), the commission and the clubs to protect the integrity of the game we all love,” King told News Corp.

“There will always be a need to enforce our rules and hold people to account, but it’s equally important we focus on education, good processes and other support mechanisms with a view to preventing issues from arising in the first place.

“The community and our partners have high expectations of the game and both the players and officials involved – it’s incumbent on all of us to live up to these standards so the game can continue to thrive and provide positive experiences for our fans.”

King made 239 NRL appearances between stints with the Northern Eagles and Manly, while also notching up two matches for New South Wales at Origin level.

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The former Sea Eagles co-captain has gained plenty of plaudits from NRL boss Andrew Abdo, who expressed his excitement in having King join the league's Integrity Unit.

“Jason is uniquely placed to lead the Integrity team,” Abdo said.

“He played professionally for 14 seasons, qualified as a lawyer and has had seven years of experience in sports administration across NRL football and commercial teams.

“Jason knows the game inside out and has relationships with many stakeholders through his recent roles.

“Joe Collins and Karyn Murphy have done an outstanding job for the game in integrity. They are both professionals and leave behind a strong team to take us forward.”

All 16 NRL clubs have been alerted of his new position within league headquarters, with King also bringing with him a double degree in legal and business administration from Macquarie University.